Around 10 million people in England are living in an area which has a substandard mental health plan, according to a new report from the Mental Health Foundation.
An evaluation from the charity of ICS Joint Forward Plans indicated that:
- six were ‘excellent’;
- 28 had ‘good features’; and
- eight were ‘poor’.
Not for the want of trying
The Mental Health Foundation emphasises that ‘weak’ ICS plans are not down to those systems not having the requisite desire, but rather the necessary resources not being in place. The “vast majority” of issues with the plans could be addressed by the UK Government, according to the charity.
Elements of the mental health plans that were deemed ‘excellent’ include focuses on vulnerable groups and inequalities, effective governance, and commitments to mental health prevention funding.
CEO at the Mental Health Foundation, Mark Rowland, said: “There are many hardworking healthcare professionals doing their best in tough circumstances, and it should be lauded that some have managed to deliver good plans despite poor support from the centre to do so.
“The new UK government needs to undertake work urgently to unlock the potential of ICSs in this space. Our report lays out exactly how ICSs can improve mental health in their areas, and how central government can support them to do so.”
Recommendations
The third sector organisation says that addressing funding and workforce issues could give local leaders the necessary headroom to focus on and improve public mental health provision.
The Mental Health Foundation has set out a number of recommendations to drive a sustained shift towards prevention – this includes better sharing best practice, which would concern everyone from the NHS Confederation to the Local Government Association.
New public mental health infrastructure must be created. This should include restoration of the public health grant to its 2015 level, fresh funding for suicide prevention, and a cross government, longer-term mental health and wellbeing plan.
Separately, the charity echoes the sentiment of the Hewitt Review – the share of total NHS budgets at ICS level going towards prevention should be increased by at least 1% over the next five years.
The Mental Health Foundation is also calling on the new government to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors and fulfil its commitment in the interim Major Conditions Strategy to bring forward a mental health and wellbeing impact assessment tool to help policymakers accurately benchmark the effects of their decisions.
Mark Rowland concluded: “We recognise this [ICS] structure for the health sector is in its infancy, and so we hope the findings we put forward are used constructively by both ICSs themselves, and decision makers in government.
“Ultimately, a greater focus on mental health prevention will deliver better value for money, and better outcomes for individuals at risk of poor mental health.”
Read the full report.
Image credit: iStock
