Friday 1 April 2016

Deaths in mental health Units? Just don't count them and they'll go away.

This story from the Telegraph actually comes from some excellent Labour party research, or it would be if the Government was doing the research.

I would urge you to take a look at my other Blog which has highlighted failings at The Abraham Cowley Unit which is a Mental Health Unit based on St. Peter's Site but run by a different trust. I've recorded stories of a series of unacceptable deaths which have occurred at the Unit and these are to be found on the 'Pages' section at the right hand side of the Blog;

helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com


It's very distressing to hear that these statistics are not being collected centrally because if you don't know the extent of the problem you are never going to try and do anything about it.

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Daily  Telegraph
News

Government accused of failing mentally ill people by not collecting data

Laura Hughes,  Political Correspondent 
1 April 2016  


The Government has been accused of failing mentally ill people after it was revealed they have failed to collect basic data about death, suicides and waiting times.

Luciana Berger, the shadow mental health minister, has called on Ministers to address "appalling" levels of negligence after more than 50 freedom of information requests from Labour were dismissed with the response that the data
is “not collected centrally”.


Labour have said the lack of information is preventing the NHS from treating mental health with the same importance as physical health.

On each day this month Labour will release examples of areas in which the Department of Health said it did not collect information on a national scale.

Speaking before the campaign launch, Ms Berger said the government was unable to provide data for the number of children who have died in inpatient care, or the number of people referred to consultant-led mental health services who were seen within the 18 week target time.

The Labour MP said: “The Prime Minister promised to improve transparency and accountability in mental health, yet his Government is not even collecting basic data.

"It is absolutely appalling that Ministers have no idea how many new mums have taken their own lives because of mental health problems, how many people diagnosed with mental illness go to prison, or how many children have died in NHS mental health units.
 
"How can ministers claim to be focussing on mental health when they don’t have an accurate picture of what is actually happening on the ground? 

“If Ministers couldn’t answer such basic questions on physical health there would be outrage. These findings cast further doubt over the Tory Government’s ability to deliver what they have promised and make mental health the real priority it deserves to be.”

Norman Lamb MP, the former Lib Dem mental health minister, told the Guardian he found working in Whitehall had felt like “operating in fog”.
In a speech last month David Cameron said the NHS was leading a “revolution in mental health treatment in Britain.”
 
His comments have been echoed by the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has spoken about the “transparency revolution” going on in Britain's health service.

The minister for mental health, Alistair Burt, said: “I have been working on this issue for some time and agree that there is further to go on mental health data as part of making the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world.


"We have made big improvements, publishing more statistics than ever before – such as recovery rates and waiting times for psychological therapies.

“We have brought in the first ever waiting times for mental health, setting the NHS challenging targets to drive improvements, and increased mental health funding to £11.7bn.

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Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutthenhs.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com