26 October 2007
The government's commitment to the provision of psychological therapies is a significant breakthrough, mental health leaders have said, but care must be taken to ensure demand from patients is met.
Following the Comprehensive Spending Review, Health Secretary Alan Johnson pledged that the NHS would spend £170m a year by 2010 on psychological therapies for common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. A new Public Service Agreement promoting health and wellbeing underpins this commitment.
Steve Shrubb, director of the NHS Confederation's Mental Health Network, told Public Finance that the move was an important landmark in mental health care.
'It hits all the buttons: it's evidence-based and it's backed up by good, hard economics. It doesn't just help people with anxiety and depression but has the potential to save the economy a lot of money. It keeps people in work and gets them back to work.'
Access to psychological therapies is currently patchy, with waiting times averaging 18 months. Ministers want to bring this down to a few weeks in line with urgent outpatient services.
But Shrubb said it would be a challenge getting staff in place quickly enough.
PFoct2007
