Stepping Out Blog

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has announced that treatment for mental health conditions will be brought into line with other NHS services with the introduction of the first ever waiting time standards. There will also be £120 million to improve mental health services.

From April 2015 onwards, most patients needing talking therapies – for conditions like depression – will be guaranteed the treatment they need in as little as 6 weeks, with a maximum wait of 18 weeks.

For many patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis, the NHS will start to provide treatment within 2 weeks of referral – bringing it into line with consultations for cancer. Evidence shows that treating psychosis rapidly can dramatically improve patients’ chances of recovery and potentially save £44 million each year in hospital admissions.

Nick Clegg said “At least 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in our lives. Whilst I have nothing but praise for the tremendous work of NHS staff, the system is still letting patients down.”

“It’s wrong that relatives and friends needing a hip operation can expect treatment within a clear time frame but someone with a debilitating mental health condition has no clarity about when they will get help.”

The announcement is part of a radical 5-year plan to end years of imbalance between mental and physical healthcare services, backed by £120 million of funding over the next 2 years.

Mental Health Has to Be a Priority for Everyone

Norman Lamb, Care and Support Minister said “I want to build a fairer society and that means mental health has got to be a priority for everyone. As well as being potentially devastating for people affected, mental illness has an enormous impact on our economy.”

“That’s why, through these plans, I am absolutely determined to make sure anyone with a mental health condition can expect the same standards of care as they would for a physical health problem.”

Currently, most people who are referred for treatment for a physical health problem can expect to start their care within 6 weeks, with an absolute maximum of 18 weeks. The plans announced today will mean that people referred for talking therapies will benefit from the same standards.

This fantastic news will no doubt please those who suffer with or care for someone who suffers with a mental health disorder, plus the level of support and intent shown by the government in this initiative makes is seem like they are really in for the long haul when it comes to supporting mental health treatments that are and will be available on the NHS.

Do you feel that the government have made the right choice in this recent announcement and how should this funding be distributed?

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

According to an investigation by the We Need to Talk coalition, mental health services are unable to cope with demand for psychological therapies.

The coalition of mental health charities, professional organisations, Royal Colleges and service providers says that huge variations in referral rates and waiting times around the country are unacceptable and are making people more unwell. It is calling on the next government to make access to talking therapies an immediate priority after the election.

While some CCGs, such as NHS Oxfordshire, say the majority of people are assessed for treatment within 28 days of referral, others report that over 90% have to wait longer.

The survey reveals that almost 10% are waiting over a year between referral and assessment, while almost 50% wait more than three months. Once assessed, most people start therapy within three months, yet a third wait longer.

While waiting, almost 70% feel they have become more mentally unwell. 40% have harmed themselves, almost 70% have experienced suicidal thoughts and almost 20% have attempted suicide.

The survey also revealed the toll on other services; 6% of people waiting for therapy have been voluntarily admitted to hospital, 3% admitted compulsorily under the Mental Health Act and 7% have come into contact with the police as a result of their mental health.

We Have Seen Mental Health Services Struggle to Cope

Paul Farmer, Chair of the We Need to Talk coalition and Chief Executive of mental health charity Mind, said: “Our investigation shows that providers, frontline staff and those who use services are all united in the view that mental health services aren’t currently set up to cope with demand.

“Far too many are facing unacceptably long waits or are struggling to even get a referral. This simply isn’t good enough.”

“All three main political parties have been in power in the time we have had IAPT, so we know the commitment is there but we have yet to see the ambitions of the programme made a reality on the ground. Whoever forms our next government must redouble their efforts and make this a priority, ensuring fair access and establishing waiting times targets so that no matter where you live, you can get the help you need when you need it.“

David Pink, chief executive of UK Council for Psychotherapy, said: “Demand for therapy is higher than ever but the NHS is not delivering.”

“Many NHS psychotherapy posts have been cut, clients are forced into long waits and thousands more are simply turned away. At the same, antidepressant prescriptions continue to rise and rise. This is a national scandal.”

“The next government must consider how to use this highly trained therapy workforce to ensure the NHS meets its founding commitment: that all can access support based on clinical need and not on the ability to pay.”

Semi-Independent Living

Stepping Out has always been prepared to help lighten the load on the UK mental health services.

For years, Stepping Out has been providing semi-independent living services throughout North London & Hertfordshire to local authorities. Our facilities are staffed up to 24 hours a day offering a supervised group living arrangement focused on producing positive outcomes.

Assistance and help can be provided for those who suffer from a number of mental health issues, For more information on our semi-independent living services, please contact us.

An innovative website promoting brain health has been launched in Trinity College Dublin as part of a new EU Commission initiative to increase the societal impact of brain research.

The Hello Brain campaign, which is the public face of the ASAPS project (A Sharing Approach to Promoting Science), received €1 million funding from the EU Commission under its Seventh Framework Programme.

According to the results of a major international survey revealed on World Mental Health Day, almost 75% of the carers of those living with schizophrenia, feel that a huge emotional and physical burden is being placed on them.

The Caring for Carers (C4C) survey, which is on-going in 25 countries, is being undertaken by the European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness (EUFAMI) in collaboration with LUCAS, the interdisciplinary centre for care research and consultancy of the University of Leuven, Belgium.

The results are based on responses from over 400 carers across several continents. It provides evidence of the immense and unspoken burden on people caring for those living with schizophrenia and highlights the contribution they make, and the overwhelming impact this has on their own lives.

The results find that family carers perform their caregiver role for an average of 16 years, are likely to have to do so for the rest of their lives, and report an average of 23 hours a week caring, which equates to the same commitment as a part time job.

In the EU, there are approximately 10 million family carers caring and supporting their family members with a serious mental health condition on a daily basis.

Kevin Jones, Secretary General, EUFAMI, said “This hidden workforce of family carers is a lifeline for society and we must take steps to ensure they are fully recognised for their contributions, their voices are heard and they are supported in order to allow them to continue caring effectively and safely for their loved ones, without putting their own physical and emotional well-being at risk.”

With this constant level of pressure, a third of carers are reported to be reaching ‘breaking point’ and feeling they cannot carry on with things the way they are.

More Support Is Needed

The findings emphasise the urgent need for action from both Governments and society to recognise the role of carers, their contribution and the need to provide hope and support for their future, with almost 95% of carer’s surveyed saying that they want more support on several domains.

The survey highlights carers’ desire to be more involved in treatment conversations and to be better equipped to influence care decisions.

“There is a lack of support and dissatisfaction being expressed by family carers. 38% feel they are not taken seriously and 44% are not feeling satisfied with their ability to influence important decisions in treatment and care planning,

“Healthcare professionals need to acknowledge that family carers can play a much stronger role, integrate them in treatment decisions and work together to achieve better outcomes for the patient. EUFAMI has been calling for this approach for many years.” Said Mr Jones.

Semi Independent Living

Helping to carry the load of the issue of mental health in the UK is a core aim of Stepping Out.

We provide comprehensive semi independent living services to local authorities throughout North London & Hertfordshire, our facilities are staffed up to 24 hours a day offering a high level, structured and supervised group living arrangement.

Assistance and help can be provided for those who suffer from a number of illnesses and conditions, and where necessary we can provide specific move on placements. If you would like more information on our semi-independent living services, please contact us.

As one of the UK’s most trusted semi independent living service providers, we at Stepping Out have taken a revolutionary step towards making semi independent living in the UK a more rewarding experience for support workers, and a more positive environment for those being supported.

Gamification is a process by which participants are rewarded for carrying out certain tasks or achieving certain goals. In this case, support workers will be rewarded for their efforts when it comes to producing positive outcomes for those being supported.