The Government has been lying about mental health funding increases – and now we have proof
Mental health service increases stem partly from the level of suffering caused by austerity measures [Image: Getty].
It seems that, on the week the mainstream media made fools of themselves trying to accuse Jeremy Corbyn of being a Communist spy, the mainstream media are also making huge strides in the right direction.
(I should point out that The Independent isn’t one of the organisations that attacked Mr Corbyn on this occasion.)
So – as long as it’s producing journalism like this – support The Independent!
Mental health trusts have less money to spend on patient care than they did five years ago, according to a damning new analysis from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
This directly contradicts the Government’s repeated proclamations that mental health funding is at record levels, but will come as no surprise to patients, carers and mental health professionals.
[A] rush of interest in mental health has allowed the Government to make various smoke and mirror manoeuvres to appear to be at the forefront of change, while decimating funding for those most in need.Throwing £200,000 at schools to introduce mental health first aid makes for great headlines, but distracts from the more pressing need to adequately fund child and adolescent mental health services.
Doubling the number of employment advisors in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services may appear a useful way to encourage people back to work, but it masks the fact that it is increasingly difficult to access life-saving therapy for other goals such as reducing symptoms or improving quality of life, especially for those with moderate to complex needs.
The pressure to appear to be doing better, with less funding in real terms, is having a devastating effect on patients, carers and staff.
Source: The Government has been lying about mental health funding increases – and now we have proof
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