‘Completing the Revolution: Transforming mental health and tackling poverty’
‘Completing the Revolution: Transforming mental health and tackling poverty’
Care in the community system was started at the time of the closure of the old mental hospitals, begun in 1960’s, but not accompanied by an increase in funding for community-based services.
01/11/2011
This is one of the points highlighted by the ‘Completing the revolution: Transforming mental health and tackling poverty’ report, published by the Centre for Social Justice, which also states that the aim of care in the community was to build lives that were more dependent on families and the community rather than institutions. However, family and community breakdown is more common and care is ‘patchy’ and lacking for those most disadvantaged. Mental health difficulties seem to be more prevalent in particular groups such as some Black and Minority Ethnic communities, which are also not well served with services.
Grassroots community organisations have sprung up, often started by those who have recovered from mental health difficulties or by friends and relatives who have needed the support provided by smaller organisations. Many community organisations are struggling to provide services, with funding concentrated on hospital services, with little trickling into the community. The report, calls for grass roots services that are ‘effective and evaluated’ to be ‘properly integrated into mental health care pathways’ this will enable the services to be more sustainable and available.
Recommendations are made across the following areas:
- Tackling mental ill-health and stigma through a public health approach
- Trauma and mental health of military
- Children and young people
- BME groups
- The role of primary care and
- Secondary care – hospital and ‘care in the community’.
The Centre for Social Justice is a thinktank founded by Ian Duncan Smith. The full report is available at:
