Legal News

The government has set out plans to treat a further one million mental health patients by 2020-2021 – and finally give mental healthcare parity with physical healthcare.

The government has committed £1.3 billion to transform mental health services, with a pledge to treat an extra one million patients by 2020 to 2021, provide services seven days a week 24/7 – and integrate mental and physical health services for the first time.

The plan has been developed by Health Education England (HEE), together with NHS Improvement, NHS England, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and other key mental health experts.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

“We want people with mental health conditions to receive better treatment – and part of that means having the right NHS staff.

“We know we need to do much more to attract, retain and support the mental health workforce of the future – today is the first step to address this historic imbalance in workforce planning.

“As we embark on one of the biggest expansions of mental health services in Europe, it is crucial we have the right people in post – that’s why we’re supporting those already in the profession to stay and giving incentives to those considering a career in mental health.

“These measures are ambitious, but essential for delivering the high performing and well resourced mental health services we all want to see.”

The plan says there should be 2,000 additional nurses, consultants and therapist posts created in child and adolescent mental health services, as well as 2,900 additional therapists and other allied health professionals supporting expanded access to adult talking therapies. There will also be 4,800 additional posts for nurses and therapists working in crisis care settings, with the majority of these (4,600) being nursing positions.

Perinatal mental health support, liaison and diversion teams and early intervention teams working with people at risk of psychosis should also see significant increases, says the government.

The government’s commitment to an extra £1 billion for mental health services by 2020-2021 will be achieved by improvements in how employers retain their existing mental health staff, including targeted support for 20 trusts with the highest rates of clinical staff exits – alongside a national retention programme to be run by NHS Employers and initiatives to improve career pathways.

HEE will also lead a major “Return to Practice” campaign to encourage some of the 4,000 psychiatrists and 30,000 trained mental health nurses not substantively employed by the NHS to return to the profession. NHS Employers will also work with providers to develop more flexible and supportive working environments – and help more of them to draw on the skills of recent retirees.

A new action plan will also attract more clinicians to work in mental health services and psychiatry – including a targeted campaign in 2018 to encourage more trainees to specialise in mental health; as well as encouraging more junior doctors to experience psychiatry as part of their foundation training – either through a new two-week taster programme, or through increased availability of rotation placements in psychiatry.

There will also be development and expansion of new professional roles in mental health to help create more flexible teams and boost capacity, enabling clinical staff to spend more face-to-face time with patients by providing more support staff to take on the non-clinical tasks, such as for example updating patient records.

Co-ordinated action will tackle the high attrition rates among psychiatry trainees, with the Royal College of Psychiatrists working with higher education institutions to improve on-the-job training and support, encourage greater flexibility – and develop a new Accelerated Return to Training programme for those who have abandoned training previously.

The plan also pledges action to improve the mental health and resilience of its own workforce – HEE will deliver a programme to improve awareness of mental health among NHS staff, including encouraging more GPs to undertake further formal training in psychiatry; and HEE will also explore how to support trusts in recruiting and training staff from abroad to meet short-term recruitment needs.

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK’s largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services and can advise mental health patients on a wide range of issues – including access to NHS mental health services and detention under the Mental Health Act.

Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors regularly visit NHS hospitals to advise on mental health law – and are available across England and Wales at short notice for hospital and police station appointments.

In some cases, Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors may be able to advise the nearest relative or carer of a mental health patient on a range of issues, including initiating treatment reviews where appropriate.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 020 3114 1124.