Thread by @ChrisCEOHopson

1/10 We've launched an important new report on mental health today - Mental
health services: addressing the care deficit. It sets out the positive recent developments in mental health but highlights a significant care deficit we still have to tackle: nhsproviders.org/media/606029/m…

2/10 BBC coverage of our important new mental health report released today here: bbc.co.uk/news/health-47…. Guardian coverage here: theguardian.com/society/2019/m…. And an excellent BMJ blog by our Senior Policy Officer Ella Fuller here: nhsproviders.org/news-blogs/blo…

3/10 Our new mental health report is great example of power of @NHSProviders as member organisation. Members suggest topic to focus on; we talk to/survey them to gather evidence; we turn this into compelling report and publicise. Simples (apart from huge amount of work involved!)

4/10 Vital to recognise that the story around the NHS and mental health at the moment is nuanced....thanks to @ClaireCNWL & others and brilliant work at the frontline, there's a much greater NHS focus on mental health and a whole load of great, new, things going on.....

5/10 But, demand for mental health services is growing really rapidly. Our new report rightly highlights the wider societal factors at play here including substance misuse, universal credit and benefit changes, loneliness, homelessness and financial hardship

6/10 Our new report says that, as with the rest of the NHS, we must be realistic about the scale of demand increase we are seeing in mental health; acknowledge the pressure this is putting on services; and be open and transparent about the growing care deficit this is causing.

7/10 Our new report rightly highlights the current workforce challenges facing mental health services. 96% of leaders surveyed said they were worried or very worried they won't have the right numbers, quality and mix of staff to deliver high quality care in a year's time.

8/10 Trusts welcome new investment in mental health & great work done by @ClaireCNWL & others to ensure it reaches frontline trusts. But 60% of them still say they don't think the mental health investment standard is being appropriately applied to their trust. This is a problem!

9/10 Mental health leaders very clear their community service provision is under increasing pressure. 81% of trust leaders said they were unable to meet current demand for community children and adolescent mental health services and 58% said the same for adult community services.

10/10 Good question our new MH report raises: do we have the right balance between centrally driving new priorities through ringfenced funding & giving local leaders appropriate freedom over all available resources to meet local need as they best determine. Tricky to get right!

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