Government's NHS aims ‘need investment in mental health services'
The Government's aims for the NHS – to shift care from hospitals into the community and to prevent ill health – can be accelerated through better investment in mental health services, a report says.
The study, from the Centre for Mental Health and the NHS Confederation, argues there are six areas where investment in the upcoming Government spending review represents good value for money.
These include supporting the mental health of new mothers and pregnant women, expanding early support hubs for young people, and investing in community mental health services to reduce demand on A&Es and hospitals.
Other measures include parenting programmes, such as one called Incredible Years which has been shown to benefit families, expanding NHS talking therapies and offering mental health support for workers.
According to the report, demand for mental health services among both adults and children is on the rise.
For example, referrals to mental health services in England increased from 4.4 million a year in 2016-17 to 6.4 million in 2021-22, it said.
There has also been an 'alarming' increase in the number of children and young people attending at A&E with mental health needs – they spent more than 900,000 hours in A&E in 2022.
Analysis by the Centre for Mental Health found that, in 2022, the cost of mental ill health in England was £300 billion – double the NHS's entire budget for England in that same year.
This included economic costs of £110 billion, some £130 billion related to reduced quality of life and premature death among people living with mental health problems, and health and care costs of £60 billion.
The report argues that investing in community alternatives to hospital care could offer significant savings to the NHS and help the Government achieve its aims.
Andy Bell, chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, said: 'Mental health is a good investment.
'Targeted investment in proven interventions and priority areas will ensure that money is well spent with positive outcomes for people's mental health and extensive economic benefits.
'From parenting programmes to employment support, and from talking therapies to crisis care, the priorities we have identified will make a long-lasting difference.'
Rebecca Gray, mental health director at the NHS Confederation, said: 'The economic, social and health case for investing in mental health services has long been clear, but this report is yet more evidence of the impact it can have.
'We know that as well as costing the country an estimated £300 billion, mental ill health is one of the biggest drivers of economic inactivity.
'This means tackling long waiting lists for mental health treatment is not only good for patients but the economy as well.
'The upcoming spending review and 10-year plan are a fantastic opportunity to invest in shifting resources upstream to improve the nation's mental health.
'The investment areas we have set out with the Centre for Mental Health are areas we know will not only improve care for people with mental ill health but also pay dividends economically and societally as well.'
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said the Government had inherited a 'broken' mental health system and was determined to fix it.
He added: 'To ensure people are getting appropriate care we're investing £26 billion in the NHS, including in mental health services and recruiting 8,500 mental health workers.
'Through our Plan for Change, we are moving care out of hospital and into the community including by investing in talking therapies to support an extra 380,000 patients on top of £26 million for new mental health crisis centres.
'As part of our shift towards prevention, we are providing access to specialist mental health support in every school and creating a network of mental health hubs.'
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