The Scottish Government began consultation on proposals for a mental health Bill. The draft Bill was published alongside the consultation. The consultation would close on 25 March 2014.
Source: A Consultation on Draft Proposals for a Mental Health (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document | Draft Bill
Date: 2013-Dec
An audit report in Wales said that although there had been some progress in addressing the safety issues highlighted in their 2009 report, risks to children and young people still arose in a number of areas of practice.
Source: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Follow-up review of safety issues, Wales Audit Office
Links: Report | WAO press release
Date: 2013-Dec
A report examined the prioritization of children and young people in existing mental health services commissioning processes. Key findings were that: two thirds of joint strategic needs assessments did not specifically include a section on children and young people and one third did not include an estimated or actual level of need for this group; JSNAs often used outdated or incomplete data; and one third of joint health and well-being strategies did not prioritize children and young people's mental health. The report made recommendations to the Department of Health, health and well-being boards, and Public Health England.
Source: Laurie Oliva and Paula Lavis, Overlooked and Forgotten: A review of how well children and young people s mental health is being prioritised in the current commissioning landscape, Children & Young People s Mental Health Coalition
Links: Report | | Summary | CYPMHC press release | Mental Health Foundation press release
Date: 2013-Dec
A report examined the provision of welfare advice for people with mental illness. It said that specialist advice could represent good value for money by reducing the length of inpatient stays, preventing homelessness, and preventing relapse. The report recommended that service providers should review how to build advice services into the care pathway, and made related recommendations to commissioners, health and well-being boards, the Department of Health and statutory health bodies, the Care Quality Commission, and research funders.
Source: Michael Parsonage, Welfare Advice for People who Use Mental Health Services: Developing the business case, Centre for Mental Health
Links: Report | CMH press release
Date: 2013-Dec
A report said that liaison psychiatry services should be available all acute hospitals in the United Kingdom, to integrate mental and physical healthcare for people whose mental health problems arise in, or have an impact on management of, physical illness and symptoms. The report examined the existing evidence for liaison services, considered the services required, outlined service design and standards, and considered governance issues.
Source: Liaison Psychiatry for Every Acute Hospital: Integrated mental and physical healthcare, College Report CR183, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Links: Report | RCPsych press release
Date: 2013-Dec
A report examined access to talking therapies in England. It said that the Department of Health's Improving Access to Psychological Therapy programme, introduced in 2007, had been interpreted and implemented differently across locations and had reduced overall choice and access in some cases. It made a range of recommendations for policy-makers, commissioners and regulators.
Source: Getting the Right therapy at the Right Time, We Need to Talk Coalition
Links: Report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined the characteristics and management of individuals attending hospital with self-harm in England, and assessed changes in management and service quality since an earlier study in 2001. It said that hospitals varied in their approaches to assessment, admission and follow up services. It also said that, compared with the 2001 study, there was now a higher rate of hospital admission, but there were fewer referrals to specialist follow up services.
Source: Jayne Cooper, Sarah Steeg, Olive Bennewith, M Lowe, David Gunnell, Allan House, Keith Hawton, and Nav Kapur, 'Are hospital services for self-harm getting better? An observational study examining management, service provision and temporal trends in England', BMJ Open, Volume 3 Issue 11
Links: Article | University of Manchester press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report evaluated Camden Housing First, a project designed to secure and sustain independent housing for people with a history of chronic homelessness and high levels of need. It said there was evidence of: successfully sustained private sector tenancies; engagement of service users with health and related services; reductions in anti-social behaviour; and cost savings across services. It recommended extending the small scale study to a randomised control trial, to compare this scheme's efficacy against other forms of homelessness service.
Source: Nicholas Pleace and Joanne Bretherton, Camden Housing First: A Housing First experiment in London, Centre for Housing Policy (University of York)
Links: Report | Summary | Related presentations
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined whether health and well-being boards had included mental health issues as a priority in their joint health and well-being strategies. It said that many strategies had not met the government's recent commitment to achieve parity of esteem between mental and physical health.
Source: Jonathan Scrutton, A Place for Parity: Health and wellbeing boards and mental health, Centre for Mental Health
Links: Report | CMH press release
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined Big White Wall, an online peer support network providing 'real time' access to psycho-social support. The article discussed how the service had developed against a backdrop of increasing consumer demand for digital health services. It outlined how the service responded to user demand, and the challenges and opportunities of digital healthcare.
Source: Sylvia Christie, 'Big White Wall: transforming mental health services through digital technologies', Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Volume 17 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined case studies of people with mental health problems who used social media in their recovery. It said that many people used it for peer support, shared learning, and to decrease isolation, and that mental health practitioners would increasingly require the skills to enable associated support.
Source: Victoria Betton and Victoria Tomlinson, 'Social media can help in recovery but are mental health practitioners up to speed?', Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Volume 17 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined access to mental health therapies in England. It acknowledged progress, but said that: many people were still waiting too long for treatment; almost three fifths were not offered a choice of treatment; and there was a lack of equity in access. The report made a range of recommendations for government, commissioners and providers.
Source: We Still Need to Talk: A report on access to talking therapies, Mind
Links: Report | Mind press release
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined a research project that sought to increase equity of access to primary mental healthcare for under-served groups. The study examined existing evidence around access to services, which then informed a quasi-experimental design to test a three-stage model (community engagement, primary care and psychosocial interventions) in four disadvantaged localities, focusing on older people and minority-ethnic populations.
Source: Christopher Dowrick, Carolyn Chew-Graham, Karina Lovell, Janine Lamb, Saadia Aseem, Susan Beatty, Pete Bower, Heather Burroughs, Pam Clarke, Suzanne Edwards, Mark Gabbay, Katja Gravenhorst, Jon Hammond, Derek Hibbert, Marija Kovandzic, Mari Lloyd-Williams, Waquas Waheed, and Linda Gask, 'Increasing equity of access to high-quality mental health services in primary care: a mixed-methods study', Programme Grants for Applied Research, Volume 1 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined recovery colleges, providing an overview of their approach, followed by an outline of the development and delivery of Central and North West London Recovery College. The article outlined key lessons learned.
Source: Fabio Alois Zucchelli and Syena Skinner, 'Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust s (CNWL) Recovery College: the story so far...', Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Volume 17 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A report called for the gap between physical and mental health service funding to be closed, noting an under-investment in mental health services and a lack of integration with physical health services.
Source: Tom Foley, Bridging the Gap: The financial case for a reasonable rebalancing of health and care resources, Royal College of Psychiatrists/Centre for Mental Health
Links: Report | CMH press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report presented the findings of an inquiry into the future of mental health services. It examined what services needed to do in order to address the mental health needs of the population in 20-30 years' time. Mental health services were currently 'straining at the seams': but they faced even greater pressures in the future, including: a growing, and ageing, population; persistently high prevalence rates of mental disorders among adults and children; increasing levels of co-morbid mental and physical health problems; and funding constraints that were likely to last for many years. There was a need for greater personalization of services, and the engagement of patients and their carers and families as equal partners in decisions about care and service provision. There also needed to be increased integration between different parts of mental health services; between physical and mental healthcare; and between health and social care: this would need a new approach to training health and social care staff, and a change in culture and attitudes.
Source: Starting Today: The future of mental health services, Mental Health Foundation
Links: Report | MHF press release | KCL press release | Mind press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the organizational structure, implementation, and development of adult safeguarding in National Health Service mental health services. The results highlighted adequate arrangements for adult safeguarding in many services, but implementation appeared to be in its initial stages. Staff attitudes and uptake of training appeared to be the greatest barrier, although barriers were also indicated at a strategic and operational level.
Source: Tina Brigid Fanneran, Paul Kingston, and Eleanor Bradley, 'A national survey of adult safeguarding in NHS mental health services in England and Wales', Journal of Mental Health, Volume 22 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined ways to promote integrated healthcare for people with mental health problems. It said that the future of effective integrated care lay primarily in recruiting, maintaining, and developing a workforce (in health and social care, and in other organizations that had contact with people with mental health needs) that was passionate and committed to the principles and practice of holistic care and partnership working.
Source: Crossing Boundaries: Improving integrated care for people with mental health problems, Mental Health Foundation
Links: Report | MHF press release
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined ways of addressing fragmentation in mental health and social care delivery, based on research in deprived areas of London (United Kingdom) and Brussels (Belgium). It was found that linkage across clusters of services was weak in both cities. However, the integration of care relied on the level of linkage in London, whereas in Brussels it was more dependent on central services playing brokerage roles.
Source: Pablo Nicaise, Simon Tulloch, Vincent Dubois, Aleksandra Matanov, Stefan Priebe, and Vincent Lorant, 'Using social network analysis for assessing mental health and social services inter-organisational collaboration: findings in deprived areas in Brussels and London', Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, Volume 40 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Aug
A report by a committee of MPs said that the basic rights of some mental health patients in England were being 'violated' because of a shortage of beds in psychiatric units. There was evidence that some people were being sectioned unnecessarily to secure hospital treatment.
Source: Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Mental Health Act 2007, First Report (Session 2013–14), HC 584, House of Commons Health Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | CMH press release | MHA press release | Mind press release | RCPsych press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2013-Aug
A report called on local councils in England to prioritize mental health within their public health strategy.
Source: Building Resilient Communities: Making every contact count for public mental health, Mind/Mental Health Foundation
Links: Report | Mind press release | MHF press release
Date: 2013-Aug
A report examined the role of specialist mental health in-patient services for people with learning disabilities, in the wake of the abuse scandal at Winterbourne View Hospital. It said that a choice of both generic mental health and specialist learning disability mental health beds should be available for people with learning disability and mental health or behavioural problems who required acute in-patient treatment.
Source: People with Learning Disability and Mental Health, Behavioural or Forensic Problems: The Role of In-Patient Services, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Links: Report | RCPsych press release | Community Care report
Date: 2013-Jul
A new book examined the role of service users in mental health research.
Source: Patsy Staddon (ed.), Mental Health Service Users in Research: Critical sociological perspectives, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jun
A study examined what people with mental health problems wanted from the services and support they used to manage their mental health, and what role personal health budgets might play in improving their experience of care and their health and well-being outcomes. People with mental health problems said that being able to access a choice of treatments and support and being able to be involved in joint-care planning were key to improving their experience of mental healthcare – ideas that were central to personal health budgets.
Source: Personal Health Budgets in England: Making them Work in Mental Health, Mind
Links: Report | Mind press release
Date: 2013-May
An article examined whether minority-ethnic people were less likely than the white population to receive treatment for mental health problems, controlling for symptom severity. Interventions to reduce these inequalities were needed to ensure that National Health Service healthcare was delivered fairly to all ethnic groups according to need.
Source: Claudia Cooper, Nicola Spiers, Gill Livingston, Rachel Jenkins, Howard Meltzer, Terry Brugha, Sally McManus, Scott Weich, and Paul Bebbington, 'Ethnic inequalities in the use of health services for common mental disorders in England', Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Volume 48 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined the tension between reputational risk to institutions and the interests and needs of service-users, in a case study of local mental health services. Whereas focusing on risk was at times counter-productive, trust played a significant role in service-users' initial and ongoing engagement, communication, and co-operation with professionals. Yet inherent obstacles to trust within mental healthcare contexts remained, due to cultural pressures on professionals, the nature of the illness experience, and negative past experiences of in-patient care.
Source: Patrick Brown and Michael Calnan, 'Trust as a means of bridging the management of risk and the meeting of need: a case study in mental health service provision', Social Policy and Administration, Volume 47 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
A paper highlighted the significant inequalities that existed between physical and mental healthcare, including: preventable premature deaths; lower treatment rates for mental health conditions; and an underfunding of mental healthcare relative to the scale and impact of mental health problems. It also highlighted the strong relationship between mental health and physical health: poor mental health was associated with a greater risk of physical health problems, and poor physical health was associated with a greater risk of mental health problems.
Source: Whole Person Care: From rhetoric to reality – Achieving parity between mental and physical health, Occasional paper OP88, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Links: Paper | RCPsych press release | CMH press release | Mind press release | RCP press release | Rethink press release | RPS press release | Community Care report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined whether community treatment orders reduced hospital re-admissions for psychotic patients, in a randomized controlled trial. It was found that compulsory supervision did not reduce the rate of re-admissions and conferred no benefit on patients, despite substantial curtailment of individual freedoms. The authors called for the use of compulsory orders to be urgently reviewed.
Source: Tom Burns, Jorun Rugkasa, Andrew Molodynski, John Dawson, Ksenija Yeeles, Maria Vazquez-Montes, Merryn Voysey, Julia Sinclair, and Stefan Priebe, 'Community treatment orders for patients with psychosis (OCTET): a randomised controlled trial', The Lancet 26 March 2013
Links: Abstract | Oxford University press release | Community Care report
Date: 2013-Mar
A joint inspectorate report said that a failure to identify children in England living with parents with mental ill-health had led to them not receiving the help that they needed, with some being left at risk of harm. It called for a mandatory requirement for mental health services to collect data on children whose parents or carers had mental health difficulties, and to report on such data nationally.
Source: What about the Children? Joint working between adult and children s services when parents or carers have mental ill health and/or drug and alcohol problems, HMI 130066, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills/Care Quality Commission
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | Childrens Commissioner press release | 4Children press release | NTA press release | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined differences in socio-economic status in common mental disorders and use of psychotherapy. Higher socio-economic status was associated with lower odds of common mental disorder and of being treated by publicly provided psychotherapy, but higher odds of being a client of private psychotherapy. The use of publicly provided psychotherapy had improved between 1991 and 2009 among those with low socio-economic status, but social inequalities in common mental disorders remained.
Source: Markus Jokela, David Batty, Jussi Vahtera, Marko Elovainio, and Mika Kivimaki, 'Socioeconomic inequalities in common mental disorders and psychotherapy treatment in the UK between 1991 and 2009', British Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 202 Issue 2
Date: 2013-Feb