The Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists calls on government to:
- develop a coherent and fair strategy to address the
inadequacies of commissioning and provision of services for older
people with mental health problems;
- recognise older people’s mental health as a public health
priority;
- give older people’s mental health services the level of
attention commensurate with their central importance for the
effective delivery of health and social care in our ageing
population.
At their conference last week in Eastbourne, members of the
Faculty were told of evidence that specialist services for older
people with mental health problems, including dementia, are being
cut purely to meet the financial pressures created elsewhere in the
NHS, and to meet the demand of the Secretary of State that
financial balance must be achieved.
The Faculty has received evidence that hospital beds, whole
wards and day treatment services are being closed, and clinical
posts lost in at least 26 local services throughout England.
This evidence indicates that services are being indiscriminately
sacrificed to achieve financial balance with total disregard to the
effect this has for vulnerable older people and their families.
“Services losing over 50% of their inpatient beds, up to 75% of
their wards, more than 30% of their funding, complete closure of
day treatment services without consultation and reduced access to
specialist care”, said Dr Dave Anderson, Chair of the Faculty of
Old Age Psychiatry. “Loss of community nurses, doctors,
occupational therapists and psychologists has also been reported.
Some patients and their families will now have to travel large
distances to receive their care.”
“The Faculty also has examples of specialist services being
dismantled and transferred to general mental health services, and
wards for older people closed with patients transferred to wards
for younger mentally ill people raising serious concerns for safety
and quality of care, continued Dr Anderson.
“NHS managers are dishonestly calling this modernisation,
service re-design or new ways of working, but this represents
nothing more than asset stripping intended to achieve nothing more
than to save money. This is not consistent with the Department of
Health’s pledge to develop comprehensive specialist mental health
services for older people. We have communicated our concerns to the
Department of Health in writing on the 9th January, but have to
date received no response.”
“We believe that the present blanket financial constraint
enforced in the NHS is unjust, irresponsible and short-sighted. The
Faculty is asking the government to stop this piecemeal destruction
of specialist services that is unfairly penalising vulnerable
patients and their families. Two thirds of people in acute
hospitals are over age 65, and 50% of these people have a mental
disorder. The Department of Health appears prepared to watch the ad
hoc destruction of specialist mental health services in the NHS to
meet financial pressures,” concludes Dr Anderson.
For further information, please contact Liz Fox or Deborah
Hart in the Communications Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 298 or 127
Note to editors:
In the last twelve months, the following issues have been raised:
The Alzheimer’s Society defined the enormous problem of dementia.
Age Concern produced a report on the infringement of human rights.
Action on Elder Abuse published a document on the high levels of financial abuse.
The Commission for Social Care Inspection described serious problems of service provision and partnership.
The English Councils report addressed the under-funding of services and predicted a reduction of services for older people.
NICE guidance was published which reduces access to drug treatment for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer Europe called on all governments to recognize dementia as a public health priority.