Further news and content on the re-shaping of mental health strategy will appear in this section
In an article published by Community Care on 2 September 2010 (excerpt below), Paul Burstow, Care Services
Minister confirms the commencement of work to re-shape mental health
strategy
"The Coalition has already signalled its support for IAPT,
committing £70m this financial year to establish more centres around
the country. But I know that's only a small part of the solution.
Because what we really need is a wholesale shift in emphasis to give
mental health parity with physical health in the NHS.
Our NHS
White Paper - with its plans to replaces process targets with a new
focus on patient outcomes - will help to achieve this. Over this summer,
we are discussing with patients and clinicians which ‘outcome' measures
should be used to judge the Health Service in the future. I
passionately believe a person's general wellbeing and overall mental
health should form part of this assessment. There is no health without
good mental health and certainly no well being.
The fact is we
can no longer accept that curing someone of cancer then leaving them to
struggle with depression afterwards is a true mark of success. The NHS
should deal with the full parameters of a patient's recovery, including
helping them return to work and get their life back after illness.
That's what the new outcomes framework should deliver.
We must
also draw on a broader canvass in preventing people from developing
mental illness in the first place. The new Public Health Service and the
health improvement role of local Government will help, but this
stretches far beyond just health. In fact, it covers all aspects of
community life.
First, it involves other public services - from
Jobcentre Plus and housing teams, through to children's services and
environmental planning, we need to ensure the right support is there to
help people stay on track and in control of their lives.
Second,
it requires us to empower neighbourhoods, stimulating those active
exchanges between people that can have such a healing effect on people
and places.
And third, it means galvanising charities and
grassroots community groups that can reach out to people on the cusp of
depression and draw them back from the brink.
In the months
ahead, Ministers from the Department of Health and across Government
will reshape mental health strategy to set clear outcomes and offer a
roadmap for delivering them.
Of course, all of this has to be
achieved in a difficult financial context. But even in these tough
circumstances, we can move forward in mental health - and, by doing so,
we can land a major blow against poverty and deprivation."
Read the full article at Community Care