Responding to the Government's
Spending Review, Professor Dinesh Bhugra, President of the Royal
College of Psychiatrists, said:
"The ring-fencing of the NHS budget in the
Spending Review is to be welcomed, as are the promises to expand
psychological therapies for people with mental illness, provide
treatment for mentally ill offenders in the criminal justice
system, protect the medical research budget, and give an extra £2
billion for social care. However the NHS will still have to make
£20 billion of savings, which will put huge pressures on services.
Historically, mental health services have been an easy target for
cuts because mental health has been poorly understood and
stigmatised. It’s a challenge to us all to ensure this does not
happen again.
"The RCPsych is most concerned that the mental
health workforce should not become deskilled by a lack of training
opportunities, or become demoralised by ill-thought out staffing
cuts or service closures. These would have a disastrous knock-on
effect on individuals, society and the wider economy.
"Efficiency savings do need to be found – but
these must be informed by a robust evidence base of what really
works. The RCPsych, together with other partners in mental health,
will do all it can to safeguard the quality of care for those with
mental illness. We will do this by seeking solutions to existing
barriers to good care, and helping to identify ways of streamlining
systems and reducing waste."
For further information, please contact Liz Fox or Deborah
Hart in the Communications Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127