Slash and burn cuts to mental health services will only worsen the effects of the recession on people’s health, academics have warned.
A report, called Mental Health and the Economic Downturn, says mental health services are particularly vulnerable to cuts because they are not paid through the same national tariff system the rest of the NHS and there are few metrics for measuring quality of value for money.
The study, by the London School of Economics, Mental Health Network and Royal College of Psychiatrists, argues the case for supporting such services claiming mental health issues are likely to increase as the downturn continues.
Increased debt problems, family breakdown and job losses all contribute to the problem.
The report outlines the key mental health challenges for the NHS, such as keeping people in work, improving early intervention and public health strategies.
It calls for a cross-government strategy for developing better mental well-being for the whole population, and new initiatives that will save the public purse elsewhere in the system, such as mental health diversion schemes for those in the criminal justice system.
Research should also be a priority in order to better understand the effectiveness of some types of interventions to prioritise investment.
The report also calls for a raft of ‘efficiencies’, from the operational to workforce and care pathways, warning that it needs “careful planning to ensure changes bring about efficiencies and patient benefits, rather than unintended consequences”.
For wider system efficiencies “new offers to primary care, addressing physical healthcare costs through mental health intervention, psychological therapies and joined-up working may lead to savings”.
Steve Shrubb, director of the Mental Health Network, said: “In the past, we have tended to react to reduced spending by cutting services across the board. We know such ‘slash and burn’ tactics will not work.
“We have to see this spending squeeze as an opportunity to look again at how we offer support and, with clinicians and managers working together, develop services that are not only better for patients but also better value for taxpayers.”
Professor Dinesh Bhugra, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “It’s all too easy in times of economic hardship for commissioners and providers of services to see short-term cuts as the solution. However, such action would be grossly short-sighted and would undoubtedly deliver long-term pain.
“During these times of economic downturn, it’s vital that careful investment is made in mental health services and prevention programmes.”
Tags: Funding, psychiatry
