The budget for mental health services has increased by just 1.6 per
cent this year compared with 5 per cent for the NHS as a whole,
according to a new report from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental
Health.
The survey reveals that more than half of all mental health local
implementation teams said budgetary constraints were delaying the
launch of services in the priority areas of early intervention,
assertive outreach, crisis resolution and support for carers.
Many mental health trusts also complained that primary care trusts
had been diverting extra money to other services, while mental
health budgets often lost out in social services departments.
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Matt Muijen, the centre's chief executive, said: "Five years ago
the national service framework set out a bold vision for mental
health care. But it was predicated on extra resources being
available to invest in new services.
"The reality on the ground is that new services are being
introduced without sufficient resources. Either mental health gets
parity with the rest of the NHS or the government's plans for
better services will have to be scaled back significantly."
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Money for Mental Health from
www.scmh.org.uk
