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Mental Health Standard 7 of the NHS National Service Framework for Older People covers mental health. It states that access to integrated mental health services needs to improve. The standard focuses on promoting mental well-being. Early recognition and management of illness and access to specialist care are also highlighted, as well as providing support to carers. The Manchester Mental Health Joint Commissioning Team (JCT) have carried out a review into older people's mental health services in Manchester. Issues they looked at included
The work included a review of national and local guidance, strategies and policies, and how gaps in service provision may/could be addressed in the context of the policies, guidance and strategies. The work also included an assessment of the prevalence of mental health problems and projected future need. The consultants were asked to make evidence-based proposals around service development for older people and their carers and to assess the financial implications of service development. As part of this process the review was asked to identify inequalities in current service provision both geographically within the city, age boundaries and within different population groups (eg BME groups). One of the anticipated outcomes was to have a better understanding of needs and services and for the commissioners therefore, to be able to make appropriate commissioning decisions. Some of the major problems for the consultants and the steering group were the time scales for the review (June to October) and the knowledge that there is a national problem of long term under funding in services for older adults (including mental health services) and therefore any proposals to address gaps in provision needed a shift in investment. A number of mental health services available to working age adults are not available to older people, such as the crisis resolution service. There was also a need to clarify with the JCT and the consultants a common understanding of what we meant by ‘mental health services’. There are specialist mental health services and services supporting people with mental health needs which are mainly community based and provided by the VCS. The review found that there was an important need to increase services that relate to ‘low-intensity community-based support’ but it raises a familiar question - how will commissioners be able to shift money around to invest in prevention rather than having to spend on responding to urgent needs and crises? MACC views this as a missed opportunity to start real improvements in older people's mental health services in Manchester. We will continue to press for a joined up approach which is defined by:
Click here to download a summary of the Cordis-Bright report (Word document) |
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