RCGP launches campaign to encourage better access to psychological therapies
RCGP (The Royal College of General Practitioners) (published 03/03/2010)
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is joining the Royal College of Psychiatrists and mental health charity Mind to launch a new campaign calling for a new deal for children and adults with mental health problems.
The campaign challenges all of the political parties to support the roll-out of talking therapies, and other evidence-based psychological therapies to those that need them.
The new campaign builds on the success of the We Need to Talk campaign, led by five mental health charities, and the Declaration agreed by the New Savoy Partnership.
The theme of the launch was ‘the unmet need’, and featured talks from Professor Lord Richard Layard, RCGP Chairman Professor Steve Field, Dr Margaret Murphy, Chair of the Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychology, and Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind. It also featured contributions from service users. The talk addressed the need for better access to psychological therapies from an economic, medical and personal perspective.
The RCGP has also received feedback from its membership on how access to psychological services, for both adults and children, varies across the country. The feedback suggests that whilst the access for adults has improved over recent years, it remains patchy. Access for children appears to remain poor.
NICE guidelines recommend several psychological therapies for people who have mental health problems but most of those who need them cannot get access. Feedback from some GPs who should refer people for psychological therapies has suggested they are often unable to do so - or can do so only with very long waiting times.
The meeting emphasised the patient’s right to ‘nationally-approved treatments, drugs and programmes, recommended by NICE for use in the NHS’, as enshrined in the NHS Constitution.
Professor Field said: “We believe that there needs to be better access to psychological therapies in line with NICE guidelines. Indeed there is a right under the NHS constitution. We welcome the substantial investment that has been made over the last few years, and we support fully the campaign to ensure that adequate funding continues to go into training therapists, rolling out talking therapies across England and making provision for children. Even if there is a financial squeeze, the evidence is there that the country will save money in the short and long term”.
“We are committed to working with the NHS, with Mind and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to make sure that this is a success.”
