NHS mental health services ‘coming under increased pressure’

The government's ambitions of enhancing the standard of NHS mental health services are failing to be reflected by frontline improvements at present.

This is according to new analysis from NHS Providers, which surveyed NHS trust chairs and chief executives, with nearly two-thirds of trusts that provide mental health services and more than half of all NHS trusts in England offering responses.

It was revealed that more than 70 percent expect demand to increase this year – a trend that is overwhelming core mental health services and their capacity to provide effective care to all users – while fewer than one in three is confident they have enough staff to deliver existing services, let alone extend or create new ones.

Additionally, only one-tenth of those surveyed say their local trust is managing demand and planning for unmet need for key mental health services, with 80 percent saying extra money intended for mental health is still not getting through to the frontline.

As such, the report called for the government to adopt a more realistic outlook about the current level of demand, alongside new and more effective funding plans and an overhauled workforce strategy.

Saffron Cordery, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: "These concerns point to a growing gap between the government's welcome ambition for the care of people with mental health needs and the reality of services they are receiving on the frontline."

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