The Mental Health Taskforce Report, The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health has been widely welcomed. It outlines key priorities including the importance of equal consideration for mental and physical health, a need for more focus to be placed on the prevention of mental health problems and early intervention, and increased access and targeting for those most likely to develop mental health conditions. In short, the report’s recommendations could mark a much needed revolution in mental health care.
While the intentions and recommendations made by the report are to be commended, following through on the paper’s priority actions will require significant investment. On this front there are questions still to be answered.
Below is a collection of articles and resources which begin to delve into some of these topics.
Source of funding
The £1bn in funds pledged is evidently not new money, and it’s unclear where these funds are being diverted from. The following articles explore this question in detail.
The Mental Health Taskforce: Opportunity Knocks? Felicity Dorman, The Health Foundation
“While the money may be new for mental health, it is probably not new for the NHS, and does not guarantee on-the-ground funding for services.”
The Scale of the UK’s Mental Health Challenge Has Been Underestimated Letters, The Guardian
“The needs in other areas of healthcare have not diminished and so this will not decrease pressures on the system but rather redistribute them.”
Forget about a Mental Health Revolution Without New Cash Polly Toynbee, The Guardian
“David Cameron’s promised £1bn is old money so can’t be ringfenced – and will be swallowed by existing NHS debts.”
Mental Health is an Easy Target Mary O’Hara, The Guardian
Claire Murdoch of Central and North West London NHS trust argues that adequately funded mental health services are an essential part of taking pressure off acute hospitals.
Distribution of Funds
Additionally, there are questions around how this money will actually reach the right areas.
Will the Mental Health Taskforce Report Make it Off the Shelves? Chris Naylor, The King’s Fund
“It has always been notoriously difficult to track spending on mental health services with any degree of precision, and even harder to measure outcomes.”
Funding is Welcome But Root Causes of Mental Illness are Growing Richard Vize, The Guardian
“Very little of this money will be used for transformation. In its first year all but around £339m will be consumed in backfilling hospital deficits.”
IAPT Targets
The report sets an ambitious new target for a 10% increase in access rates, from 15 to 25% of demand – that’s an additional 600,000 people per year, though still a modest proportion of need.
Psychological Therapy Professional Bodies respond to The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health British Psychoanalytic Society
“Treating just a quarter of patients would be unimaginable for any other health condition. Imagine a cancer patient being told just that.”
We will be exploring the impact that the Five Year Forward View may have on IAPT services in a series of upcoming blogs. With services already stretched and funding concerns yet to be answered, we’re keen to hear your views – is the 25% access target for IAPT achievable by 2020? Does it go far enough? What are your expectations around funding? Contact us to share your thoughts or join the conversation on Twitter using @iaptustweets.
