Can mental health care meet huge demand?
IT was once considered a taboo subject. But while many of us are now talking openly about mental health problems, treatment services are still struggling to keep up.
Waiting months or even years to see a specialist, the frustration of negotiating the bewildering maze of mental health services and constantly being bounced around between different organisations.
They are just some of the experiences people with mental health issues in Greater Manchester have been sharing with us. But in the meantime people are dying.
So what’s going on? Elizabeth Simpson, service director at mental health charity Manchester Mind told the M.E.N: “NHS mental health services have been underfunded for decades. There is also a huge economic cost to poor mental health and in Greater Manchester this is expected to reach £3.5bn by 2021.”
It is thought one in four of us will experience mental health problems at some point in our lives.
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 49 in our region and it’s also the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29, according to the Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention Strategy, published last year. And for every person who takes their own life, another nine will attempt suicide.
However, two thirds of people who die by suicide are not in contact with mental health services. And even those that are slip through the cracks - at times with devastating consequences.
Paul Hamman, 36, took his own life on December 27 last year. He was found hanged by his fiancée Aaliyah Mohammad in the back garden of their Stockport home.
Two months earlier, Paul, a chef who worked at Old Trafford, had attempted to take his own life but was found by his brother and rushed to A&E. There he was treated for his physical injuries, but Aaliyah says he was then discharged and told to make an appointment with his GP to discuss his mental health problems. Aaliyah, 39, said Burnageraised Paul, who had suffered with mental health problems for much of his teenage and adult life, was then prescribed anti-depressants and referred to mental health services. After an initial assessment, the service wrote to him to offer him more help.
Aaliyah believes Paul either never received the letter or due to his problems didn’t respond.
And because he didn’t reply, mental health services automatically discharged him. Two months later he was dead. “Paul had been asking for help his whole life,” said Aaliyah. “But mental health is not like cancer, it’s not like a physical ailment. It can’t be identified under a magnifying glass. So you just end up being pushed from pillar to post. “He was found hanging and was told to go see his GP. If you break your leg you don’t get told to see your GP.
“I really don’t know why there isn’t more help for mental health. Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under 40 and it’s getting worse. There really needs to be more hands on help, or there’s going to be an epidemic.”
Some of the problems with the system were laid bare in the Greater Manchester Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. ‘Dedicated mental health expertise’ was described as ‘scarce,’ and there was also ‘lack of mental health expertise’ in GP surgeries and A&E departments, while delays in getting access to the right care were ‘consistently reported.’ Anyone seeking help was also faced with a confusing number of organisations, the strategy, published in 2016, reported.
At the time, there were five NHS mental health trusts and an estimated 82 mental health programmes in our region. And at the root of all those issues was the long-term problem of
You just end up being pushed from pillar to post Aaliyah Mohammad
SERVICES ARE IMPROVING - BUT TOO LATE FOR SOME PATIENTS DESPERATE FOR HELP
funding failing to keep up with demand.Since then, Greater Manchester’s mental health services have undergone a major shake-up and more cash is being ploughed into treatment and care.
In last month’s Budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced a £2bn increase in mental health funding. It should lead to comprehensive 24/7 mental health support being available in every large A&E department.
The cash will also pay for mental health teams in schools, more mental health ambulances, community services for people with mental health problems and specialist crisis teams. It’s part of the government’s longstanding aim of achieving ‘parity of esteem’ between mental health and physical health services.
That’s an ambition shared by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. He has vowed to increase the number of social and talking therapies, such as counselling and exercise, and slash the levels of antidepressants prescribed by GPs.
But while those changes are undoubtedly welcome, patients and experts believe much more needs to be done. Neil Thwaite, the chief executive of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said progress has been made but admits work still needs to be done to get services ‘up to the standard the people of Manchester should expect.’
He said staff had worked hard and made improvements but added ‘we are under no illusion that more work has to be done to deliver meaningful transformation in the city of Manchester”.’
He said: “In terms of improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT), we have seen a 26per cent increase in the number of people of receiving help from Manchester’s IAPT services.
“There has been an overall reduction of waiting times by 13pc and recovery rates have improved by 24pc, meaning more people treated sooner and with better outcomes.
“The trust has pledged to provide accessible services in the community, which offer genuine alternatives to hospital admissions and in the new year, three Manchester home-based treatment teams will offer a 24/7 service.
“Our community mental health teams are being enhanced to provide an integrated service that is more accessible and easier to navigate. We have opened a dedicated mental health unit for the reception and assessment of service users detained by the police under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.
“Alongside our clinical transformation, we are supporting communities across the city of Manchester and have successfully delivered the first year of the Manchester Wellbeing Fund which is a threeyear programme to invest 500K annually in Manchester’s neighbourhoods.
“Change on this scale takes time and we want it to be lasting and sustainable.
“Service users, carers, staff and other stakeholders remain involved in all elements of our work, and even though we still have a long way to go, we want to thank everyone who continues to support us on this transformation journey so far,” he said.
■Samaritans (116 123) samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org