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Funding of £30 million for psychiatric intensive care units has been announced by health minister Rosie Winterton today, writes Clare Jerrom.

The health minister said the funding was to improve local, general psychiatric intensive care units. “We are asking Strategic Health Authorities to tell us what pressures they are under and we will work with them so that money is targeted accordingly.

“We are determined to tackle and eradicate stigma, inequalities, discrimination and the social exclusion of people with mental health problems,” she added.

The funding was announced as the national director for mental health Louis Appleby published a report on mental health services in England.

Louis Appleby

The report found:-

• Most service users found their experience of mental health care services to be positive

• Staff numbers have increased

• Specialist mental health teams have been set up across the country offering treatment, early intervention or intensive support for people with complex needs

The report found that although services had become increasingly responsive to the needs of service users, more needs to be done, for example, more needs to be done to improve the experience of black and ethnic minority patients.

‘NSF for Mental Health – Five years on from www.dh.gov.uk ‘