Equality for mental health services

This policy means that mental health services are to be given equality when it comes to increases in funding and the priority given to improving access to mental health services.

Recently published data shows that in 2016-17, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Care Commissioning Group, along with most of the other CCGs in North Yorkshire, failed to meet targets to increase funding for mental health services.

The data in the Mental Health Dashboard published by NHS England shows that the CCGs that cover Hambleton, Richmondshire, Scarborough, Ryedale, York and Selby all failed to plan for improvements in mental health funding when compared to the levels of improvement for other health services.

Similarly the data shows that North Yorkshire CCGs spend a lower proportion of their budget on mental health services when compared to the rest of England.

NHS England has made it clear that, in their plans for the next two years, CCGs must remove this inequality in funding for mental health services.

These are tough times for the whole of the NHS and social care. Therefore, when our local CCGs choose to prioritise funding increases for mental health services at the expense of other services, it is to be hoped that our local councillors and MPs will support CCGs in making tough choices so that equality for mental health services can become a reality rather than another failed promise.

David McAsey, Hutton Rudby