Growing gap between mental health intentions and reality

A new report has argued that rising demand and funding failures are leaving core mental health services being overwhelmed.

The State of the NHS Provider Sector, produced by NHS Providers, reports on how the sector is performing, the challenges trusts are facing, and the support they need as we face another five years of constrained funding and rapidly rising demand.

Based upon a survey of NHS trust chairs and chief executives, the report found that more than 70 per cent of those questioned expect demand to increase further this year, a rise which is likely to outstrip the NHS’ capacity to provide effective care to service users. On top of this, only one in ten chief executives and trust chairs believe that their local trust is managing demand.

With trusts particularly struggling to recruit enough mental health nurses and psychiatrists, 80 per cent of respondents reported that extra money intended for mental health at a national level is still not getting through to NHS mental health trusts operating frontline services, which is affecting the speed and quality of care hospitals are able to offer.

As a result of this, NHS Provider’s urge for a dose of realism about rising demand and what is needed to meet it, seeking ways to guarantee that mental health funding reaches frontline services provided by NHS trusts.

Saffron Cordery, director of policy and strategy, said: “Having the right staff, with the right skills in the right place is the only way to improve mental health services on the ground. But mental health trust leaders are struggling to find sufficient staff to deliver their current services, let alone find new staff to extend, transform or innovate services. And too often trust leaders report that any extra funding is just used to fill existing gaps or to manage current demand, not improve service quality or access. Unless action is taken to address these areas of concern then the government’s ambitions for transforming mental health care will not be met.”