'Shocking discrimination' in mental health services

NHS managers in England have been accused of "shocking discrimination" in commissioning mental health services.

The Mental Health Policy Group from the London School of Economics said three-quarters of people with depression or anxiety got no treatment.

The committee of senior academics and medical professionals described this as a "real scandal".
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said mental health should be treated as seriously as physical health issues.

The committee is headed by economist Professor Lord Richard Layard and includes some of the country's most eminent mental health experts.

You can read more on this story here.

Elderly Denied NHS Care Can Sue

Age discrimination by NHS hospitals is to be outlawed, ministers have announced.

From October, elderly patients will have the right to sue if they have been denied care based on age alone, says Care Minister Paul Burstow.

This will not mean patients can demand any treatment they want. Care decisions will still be judged according to clinical need by doctors. But NHS staff will have a legal duty to consider wellbeing and dignity.

You can read the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18407768

NHS Hospitals Told To Do More For The Homeless

NHS hospitals are being urged to do more to help homeless patients, in a report commissioned by the government.

The report acknowledges that some staff feel that patients' housing needs are beyond the remit of hospitals. But it says a more intensive approach to the homeless can cut the cost of them repeatedly turning up as emergency cases. The report, by Homeless Link and St Mungo's, quotes the example of a special team at University College Hospital (UCH) in London which has helped save £100,000.

Homeless patients are thought to cost at least five times as much as other patients, because they often have multiple health problems and repeated admissions. NHS hospitals are being told to identify homeless patients quickly, and involve housing teams or hostels in their care - rather than discharging them back onto the streets.

You can read more on this story at the BBC News site here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18210825

The full report is available here: Helping Homeless People Regain Their Health: Our Vision For A Better NHS

British Social Attitudes No. 28

The latest British Social Attitudes survey is now available from NatCen. The survey asked over 3,000 people what is was like to live in Britain and how they think Britain is run. Chapters include:

• Childhood
• Child poverty
• NHS
• Housing
• Religion
• School choice
• Higher education

BSA 28 reveals that attitudes have hardened in the wake of the recession, with falling sympathy for the unemployed, lower support for tax rises to fund public services and slipping opposition to private health and schooling.

New Government Consultation Documents on Information & Choice within the NHS

The Secretary of State for Health has just published two new consultation documents about the NHS. These are: "Liberating the NHS: An Information Revolution" and "Liberating the NHS: Greater Choice and Control". The documents set out more of the government's vision of "putting patients first" as set out in the White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS". They are about providing people with better information about health and social care services to improve outcomes. Links to these documents and further information may be found at: Liberating the NHS.