Mental health services 'understaffed and overcrowded' - Mental health services are dangerously understaffed and overcrowded, the outgoing president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has said.
Professor Dinesh Bhugra said that failing psychiatric wards were discharging sick people back into society who remained a risk to themselves and to others.
He warned that there was a "huge, massive problem" of depleting numbers of mental health doctors in the UK because not enough British medics were choosing to train as psychiatrists and visa restrictions meant that foreign doctors could no longer fill the gap.
A survey by the royal college found that 14 per cent of consultants' posts in the UK were either unfilled or filled by a locum, and an additional 209 consultants intended to retire or resign soon.
In an interview, Prof Bhugra said: "We will be left with a dangerous vacuum of help for people with mental health disorders or will be forced to get special dispensation from the government to recruit heavily from countries who can ill afford to lose their mental health professionals.
"Society will be overwhelmed by the demand of those in need if government doesn't act now."
Mental health services are understaffed and overcrowded, a leading psychiatrist has warned
A research paper by the royal college, to be published next month, found that the number of medical graduates who accepted an offer of a psychiatry training post in England and Wales fell from 184 in 2009 to 158 in 2010.
In another research paper, to be published next week, the royal college says that some psychiatric wards are running at 120 per cent occupancy and that average occupancy rates in psychiatric wards are higher than the 85 per cent standard.
Prof Bhugra said that overcrowded wards could result in patients “becoming more distressed and unwell, and likely to need more longterm care”.
The research paper said that access to psychological treatment and contact with nursing staff were both lower than that deemed acceptable or conducive to recovery.
Around 15 per cent of wards failed to provide separate sleeping accommodation for men and women, despite it being a government policy.
Significant numbers of patients in some psychiatric wards said they felt unsafe.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Mental health is a cross-government priority. We published No Health Without Mental Health: our cross-government mental health outcomes strategy, to drive up standards in services and improve the nation's mental health.
“The strategy makes clear that mental health services should be just as important as physical health services such as those for cancer and heart disease.
“We have supported the Royal Colleges of GPs and Psychiatrists to develop advice and support for commissioning consortia to commission effective mental health services. The strategy emphasises the importance of improving quality and productivity across the system, while making efficiency savings that can be reinvested in the service to deliver quality improvements.
“In addition, we will invest around £400 million over four years in psychological therapies for those who need them in all parts of England, expanding provision for the entire population.” ( telegraph.co.uk )
Blog : Brilliant Purple | Mental health services 'understaffed and overcrowded'
Professor Dinesh Bhugra said that failing psychiatric wards were discharging sick people back into society who remained a risk to themselves and to others.
He warned that there was a "huge, massive problem" of depleting numbers of mental health doctors in the UK because not enough British medics were choosing to train as psychiatrists and visa restrictions meant that foreign doctors could no longer fill the gap.
A survey by the royal college found that 14 per cent of consultants' posts in the UK were either unfilled or filled by a locum, and an additional 209 consultants intended to retire or resign soon.
In an interview, Prof Bhugra said: "We will be left with a dangerous vacuum of help for people with mental health disorders or will be forced to get special dispensation from the government to recruit heavily from countries who can ill afford to lose their mental health professionals.
"Society will be overwhelmed by the demand of those in need if government doesn't act now."
Mental health services are understaffed and overcrowded, a leading psychiatrist has warned
A research paper by the royal college, to be published next month, found that the number of medical graduates who accepted an offer of a psychiatry training post in England and Wales fell from 184 in 2009 to 158 in 2010.
In another research paper, to be published next week, the royal college says that some psychiatric wards are running at 120 per cent occupancy and that average occupancy rates in psychiatric wards are higher than the 85 per cent standard.
Prof Bhugra said that overcrowded wards could result in patients “becoming more distressed and unwell, and likely to need more longterm care”.
The research paper said that access to psychological treatment and contact with nursing staff were both lower than that deemed acceptable or conducive to recovery.
Around 15 per cent of wards failed to provide separate sleeping accommodation for men and women, despite it being a government policy.
Significant numbers of patients in some psychiatric wards said they felt unsafe.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Mental health is a cross-government priority. We published No Health Without Mental Health: our cross-government mental health outcomes strategy, to drive up standards in services and improve the nation's mental health.
“The strategy makes clear that mental health services should be just as important as physical health services such as those for cancer and heart disease.
“We have supported the Royal Colleges of GPs and Psychiatrists to develop advice and support for commissioning consortia to commission effective mental health services. The strategy emphasises the importance of improving quality and productivity across the system, while making efficiency savings that can be reinvested in the service to deliver quality improvements.
“In addition, we will invest around £400 million over four years in psychological therapies for those who need them in all parts of England, expanding provision for the entire population.” ( telegraph.co.uk )
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