14.12.12
DH introduces greater choice for mental health services
People using mental health services will have more choice about where and how they get their condition treated, the Department of Health has announced.
New measures are outlined in response to the ‘No decision about me, without me’ consultation and will come into force from April 2014.
In addition to greater choice, patients will have access to Individual Care Plans, to act as a written agreement between patients and their GP on care decisions; the introduction of a Choice Framework to set out options; and a digital map showing community services with a list of organisations qualified to provide treatment.
Care minister Norman Lamb said: “We’ve made it clear in the past that there can be no health without mental health, and that we expect the NHS to place as much emphasis on people’s mental health as on their physical health needs.
“By giving patients more choice in their care, we are making sure they get the right type of high quality mental health care at the right time, which suits them and their needs.”
Health minister Lord Howe said: “Giving patients more choice and more control in their healthcare is an essential part of the Government’s work to put the NHS on the side of patients.
“No two people are the same, which is why our plans offer patients more personalised care, ensuring that no decision about me is made without me. I would like to thank the people who took part in the consultation, to help us build a strong set of proposals to give more involvement and more choice to patients.”
Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, welcomed the announcement and stated that joint care planning is “critical” to a person’s recovery.
Zelda Peters, Turning Point's director of Mental Health Services said: “Choice and control over the support people receive shouldn’t be a privilege – it should be a right and the publication of the government’s response to the consultation along with the choice framework is another step towards making this a reality.”
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