Mental health trusts have less money to spend on patient care than they did five years ago, according to a damning new analysis from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. This directly contradicts the Government’s repeated proclamations that mental health funding is at record levels, but will come as no surprise to patients, carers and mental health professionals.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ analysis compared mental health trusts’ income in 2011-12 to 2016-17, controlling for inflation. In England, 62 per cent of mental health trusts (34 out of 55) reported a lower income than five years ago. A similar picture was found in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. While – after the 2012 Health and Social Care Act – these figures do not reflect the totality of mental health funding, the picture is bleak.
Mental health has always been the poor relative to physical health, seriously underfunded in the NHS. At a time when this discrepancy was supposed to be redressed, not only are mental health trusts receiving less funding, but psychiatric services are also facing massive increases in demand. This increase stems partly from the level of suffering caused by austerity measures and a society in free-fall, and partly from an increased tendency to view one’s problems through a mental health lens, meaning epidemic numbers of people are seeking help from mental health services.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/mental-health-government-jeremy-hunt-theresa-may-nhs-services-suicide-self-harm-a8220661.html