Rethink report exposes mental health failings: Only 1 in 6 people with mental illness receive recommended treatment

Friday, 16 July 2010 12:00 AM

New research from mental health charity Rethink has revealed a desperate need for improvements within the NHS to ensure that people experiencing mental illness receive the necessary care and treatment.
The charity, which has launched a major new campaign, Fair Treatment Now, says that billions of pounds are being wasted each year on ineffective mental health services.
A Rethink poll of more than 400 people who use mental health services showed that the majority are regularly missing out on the treatment they are entitled to - and should receive - according to guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
The poll found that:
Just one in six (16%) service users receive all the treatments recommended by NICE
Fewer than half of people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are being offered psychological therapies, as recommended
Only one in three (32%) mental health service users have been offered a physical health check, even though people with severe mental illness are likely to die ten years younger than other citizens, often from preventable physical illnesses
Fewer than half (47%) have been offered information about the side effects of medication, even when side effects present significant health risks, such as diabetes and rapid weight-gain.
A second Rethink poll, this time of 251 general practitioners, found that doctors themselves have a negative view of mental health services.
. Only half of GPs (50%) are confident about the quality of specialist care for depression, compared with more than nine in ten (95%) who are confident about treatment for cardiovascular disease.
. Only 1% of GPs are "very confident" that a patient with psychosis will not come to harm while they wait for their treatment assessment
. Fewer than a third (29%) think that a patient with psychosis will be supported to recover long term. Just one third are confident in the quality of care on offer to people with psychosis.
Paul Jenkins, Rethink's chief executive, said: "For too long, people with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia have been denied the treatments that they need.
"It is critical that action is taken to bring mental health services up to the same standard as those available for other illnesses.
"Mental illness costs us all around £33.75 billion each year, but less than a quarter of this is spent on providing good quality care. Most of it is channelled into other public services which are needed to pick up the consequences of failing to provide early, effective treatment.
"It doesn't have to be like this - we know that the right treatment from the outset can save millions in the long run. It is paramount that appropriate action is taken to improve the lives of the more than 1.5 million people affected by severe mental illness."
Rethink, the leading charity delivering services and campaigning in the field of severe mental illness, wants to see:
Improved access to psychological therapies for people affected by severe mental illness (for people with schizophrenia, talking therapy can save £1,000 per person)
More effective outcome targets in order to better record and assess the quality of services
Payment by Results for NHS staff to be extended to mental health services
the NHS Choose and Book system to be available for people with mental illness so that they can select who treats them
the new, independent patients' body, Healthwatch, to focus on the needs of people with enduring conditions such as severe mental illness
For a copy of Rethink's campaign report go to Fair Treatment Now or call 020 7840 3138.

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