Neglect of psychosis patients exposed

The Liberal Democrats have revealed that a key government target for caring for people with severe mental health conditions in England is being missed due to underfunding.

The party’s research indicates that while more people are being seen within the two week target, few get the right treatment and receive a quality care package.

Former care minister Norman Lamb, who established the care standards, suggested that the treatment programme ‘is not being properly delivered’ in most parts of England after finding that fewer than a third of mental health trusts in England were able to offer patients the full National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) package of care.

Of the 45 mental health trusts that responded: 12 said they were able to provide the full NICE approved treatment; 24 said they were not; five said they were making progress; and four didn't provide the information.

NHS England, who has commented that the analysis ‘inevitably gives only a partial and dated picture of progress’, has calculated that a proper care package will cost about £8,250 per patient. However, of the 17 trusts that answered freedom of information requests on funding, all but two said they were spending less than that amount.