Government expands talking therapy initiative

The government has announced an expansion of its transformation plans for the delivery of mental health services on the NHS, with the Department of Health giving its approval for an expansion of its psychological therapies programme for patients with anxiety and depression.

Primary care trusts in 11 new areas from Brighton & Hove City to Salford will now offer initiatives specifically designed to suit local mental health issues in each community.

The expansion of this scheme follows successful pilots conducted in Doncaster and Newham, while the eleven areas will share 2.2 million pounds of funding.

Ivan Lewis, the newly-appointed mental health minister, said: “These pathfinders point the way to a radical overhaul of mental health services with a much greater focus in future on creating access to talking therapies which ensure people are supported to make a rapid and sustainable recovery.”

He added that mental health conditions including depression and anxiety can affect individuals irrespective of background, while these problems also adversely affect both family life and the national economy.

Earlier this month, a Department of Health survey revealed that, despite a small increase in prejudice, the public population in England has remained broadly sympathetic to the plight of mental health patients.