21.08.13
Local lead needed for mental health recovery
Commissioners must tackle poorly integrated support for those with overlapping needs, the Centre for Mental Health has urged.
A new briefing calls for services to focus on helping people with mental health problems and substance addiction to find a home, a job and to build better lives with family and friends.
Patients should be included in joint strategic needs assessments, a recovery lead should be nominated to build up local support and joint commissioning for both mental health and addiction should be implemented.
Sean Duggan, chief executive of Centre for Mental Health said: “It is important that commissioners of local services take into account what matters most in people’s lives and use this to provide services that empower people to support themselves and others.
“The emergence of health and wellbeing boards and clinical commissioning groups gives us the opportunity to look at how integrated support is commissioned for those who have overlapping needs such as mental health and substance use problems. By continuing to focus commissioning on supporting recovery we can build mental health and substance misuse services that work with and for people.”
Marcus Roberts, director of policy at DrugScope said: “The idea of recovery is critical for both mental health and substance misuse, and there are real opportunities in the new environment to work together in an integrated way at local level, joining things up to achieve a step-change in building recovery in communities. Supporting recovery and social inclusion is vital for realising the full benefits of local investment in treatment and ensuring the full resources of the community are being mobilised to support its most vulnerable. We hope this briefing can support commissioners to improve services and outcomes for individuals, families and communities.”
Emily Robinson, director of campaigns at Alcohol Concern said: “Only one in 16 people with alcohol problems are accessing treatment. We have to do better than this if we want to turn the tide of alcohol harm.
“For many, alcohol misuse is a complex problem which requires a variety of solutions from substance misuse treatment to support with mental health and wellbeing. With the movement of responsibility for public health to local authorities we have an opportunity to design services which fully support those who are vulnerable and which are cost effective.”
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