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Mental health campaigners say Norfolk and Suffolk services are not placed on an equal footing with physical healthcare (10 November 2014)

Date: 10/11/2014
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Mental health campaigners say Norfolk and Suffolk services are not placed on an equal footing with physical healthcare

The Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk has accused the NHS of failing to put mental health on a par with physical health.

BBC News reports that NHS budgets for physical health have risen by 15% in Norfolk and Suffolk since 2010, funding for mental health services has fallen by 3%.

A spokesman for the Department of Health spokesman said:

"We have gone further than ever before to put mental health on a par with physical health and have instructed the NHS to make sure every community does the same."

The main service provider for mental health across the two counties is the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT).

Many health trusts are facing cuts of up to 20% of their budget, and the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is among those re-organising services. Local online publisher EDP24 reported in November 2013 that the trust was spending millions of pounds on sending acute care patients out of the area for inpatient services.

The trust has since said that this practice has been scrapped.

However, figures showing how devastating cuts to mental health budgets have been in the two counties were presented to inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during an inspection of the NSFT.

A spokesman for the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk said:

"Cuts of this scale are quite unacceptable and are having a devastating impact on people who rely on mental health services.

"Despite this, another £44 million of cuts are planned over the next five years –nothing stigmatises those who rely on mental health services more than the increasing disparity between mental and physical health funding."

However, the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for the trust said that the figures comparing funding at NSFT do not show the full picture. A CCG spokesman said:

"The comparison made between acute or mainstream hospitals and mental health funding in Norfolk is not accurate and complete.
"Acute hospital care must be paid for patient by patient – as the number of patients treated in hospital increases, so does the funding.

“Acute hospital care is paid for in a very different way to mental health, community and primary care.

"Most other NHS services – including mental health services – are funded via block contracts which cover all activity.

However...the four Norfolk CCGs have recognised the pressures on mental health care and have increased funding in 2014-15 as appropriate. The way health services are funded Norfolk are in line with the rest of England.

Chief Executive of the NSFT, Michael Scott, said, however:

"We've seen policymakers talk about parity of esteem – that's a very welcome development and it's being followed by a healthy debate about mental health and funding.

"We all know these are tough times for the public sector – but we believe that, at a national level, there needs to be greater focus on fairer funding for mental health.”

In the run up to the general election in May 2015, all three main political parties have pledged to place mental health care on an equal footing with physical health, with similar waiting times for access to care.

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors are the UK’s largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services and can advice mental health patients on issues such as access to services and detention under the Mental Health Act.

Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors regularly visit police stations, hospitals and prisons to advise on mental health law – and are available at short-notice for appointments nationwide.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 0203 114 1124.

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