Cuts to community mental health support result in a worsening of conditions
This week’s warning from Dr John Crichton, the newly appointed chairman of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, that mental health patients are too often being referred to other health boards to access inpatient psychiatric beds should not be ignored.
It is an issue we have been campaigning on for some time, highlighting a severe lack of child and adolescent mental health facilities in Scotland, including the fact that there are only 54 mental health beds and no specialist mental health units north of Dundee.
The number of beds recommended by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for the population of Scotland ranges between 125 and 208, far greater than the 54 currently provided.
A lack of such beds is forcing many children and young people who require inpatient mental health care to remain at home, often until the family reaches crisis point. Othersarebeingforcedtotravel, often hundreds of miles, for a bed, or are being treated in non-specialist adult and paediatric wards, unsuitable to their requirements.
This frequently leaves them feeling isolated, delaying recovery. According to the Mental Welfare Commission, in 2015-16 there were 135 admissions of children and young people to such non-specialist wards.
There are also no secure inpatient units in Scotland for under-18s. These are designed for children and young people with learning disability and severe challenging behaviour who may have more than one condition, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia and depression. These children and young people are sometimes sent to specialist units in England, a harrowing experience for the child and the family, at a huge cost to the NHS.
The emphasis must be on preventingpoormentalhealth and in early intervention, thus reducing the need for hospitalisation and the cost burden on the state.
However, cuts in community-based support are often leading to conditions worsening, heightening the need for expensive specialist support.
We need increased investment in mental health services, including a greater and wider geographic provision of mental health beds, ensuring that those with mental health problems receive the vital care and support that they need.