Latest strategy paper published by the coalition government aims
to transform the mental health and wellbeing of the nation and
achieve parity between physical and mental health.
'No health without mental health'
outlines how a new emphasis on early intervention and prevention
will help tackle the underlying causes of mental ill-health. The
paper sets out how the Government will work with the NHS, local
government and the third sector to help people recover and
challenge stigma.
The strategy commits to beginning to expand provision of
psychological therapies to children and young people, older people,
people with long-term physical health problems, those with
medically unexplained symptoms and those with serious mental
illness. The aim is to help to reduce the burden of ill-health in
the UK and ensure that evidence-based therapies are available to
these key groups.
It sets out six shared objectives to improve mental health and
well-being and to improve outcomes for people with mental health
problems:
• More people will have good mental
health;
• More people with mental health problems will
recover;
• More people with mental health problems will
have good physical health;
• More people with mental health problems will
have a positive experience of care and support;
• Fewer people will suffer avoidable harm;
and
• Fewer people will experience stigma and
discrimination
Choice and control seem to be common themes throughout the paper
and there is positive acknowledgement that "Choice is fundamentally
about the objectives and circumstances of treatment and care. It is
just as relevant for children and young people as for
adults."
The strategy goes on to state that personalised care budgets for
long-term conditions are a way of giving people more choice and
control over how their support needs are met. Adding that the
Government is to take steps to extend as much as possible the
availability of personal health budgets to people with mental
health problems.
The approach supersedes the 'New Horizons: a shared vision for
mental health' guidance from late 2009 and follows a 'Dear
Colleague' letter from David Behan in 2010 which recommended
actions to take forward the delivery of New Horizons. This new
strategy places a much firmer emphasis on early intervention to
stop serious mental health issues developing, particularly among
children.
You can download the full paper below.
Last Updated : 08 February 2011. Page Author: Paul Ferguson.
