£2.3bn to fund 24/7 care for mental health
MENTAL health services will get a £2.3billion boost to help fund round-theclock crisis care.
In a victory for the Sunday Express Crusade for Better Mental Health, the measures will direct support to 350,000 more young people as well as an extra 380,000 adults, and new and expectant mothers.
It forms part of the NHS Long Term Plan and will be launched tomorrow.
Investment will be ploughed into helping those aged 18 to 25 – where care can be disjointed as people move to adult services.
The largest expansion of mental health services in a generation is a triumph for campaigners and delivers on a pledge from Prime Minister Theresa May.
The investment will enable crisis care through the NHS 111 service, with children, young people and adults being able to connect with vital support via a 24/7 helpline, seven days a week.
“This investment is a significant part of our ambition to deliver true parity between physical and mental health,” said Mrs May.
“We have already done a lot to end the stigma people with mental ill-health face and make sure they can reach out for help, and this expansion – part of our Long Term Plan for the NHS – will make a real difference and make the UK a world leader when it comes to both the money it spends on mental health services and the support and treatment it offers those who need it.”
Poorly funded children’s services have been branded a “silent catastrophe”, with many adolescents slipping through the cracks or struggling when they reach 18 and find their support changed overnight or even removed.
The Association of Child Psychotherapists recently criticised a chronic lack of funding and structural defects in the system. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services has been under severe strain over the past decade, with significant rises in conditions such as anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder.
The Government has faced intense criticism for failing to deliver improvements in frontline services for young people but new investment will extend tailored services for 18 to 25-year-olds, to target issues that develop during a crucial life period.
New and expectant mothers will also benefit, with specialist mental health care for an extra 24,000 women for two years after birth. It follows a Bristol University study which found that the number of women experiencing depression and anxiety during pregnancy has doubled during a generation.
The NHS will also launch the first scheme to test and introduce comprehensive access standards for mental health, taking it a step closer towards parity with physical health.
Paul Farmer, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said: “It’s good to see that mental health is such a key focus in the NHS Long Term Plan.
“If delivered, this will make a difference to the lives of thousands of people. The challenge now is developing the workforce needed and in making sure the money reaches the frontline.”
Campaigner Jonny Benjamin, of Beyond Shame Beyond Stigma, also welcomed the investment but wants funding ring-fenced. He warned: “We also need to make radical changes to the system and to ensure that good care is at the heart of all services.”
‘This will make the UK a world leader in the money spent on these services’