Video: Chairman of a Nottingham mental health charity speaks about the investment
Nottinghamshire is getting £600,000 to improve mental health services – but campaigners say it won’t be enough.
The Government is investing £15 million all around the country with Notts receiving one of the larger chunks.
The money has been awarded after Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust bid for funding to improve immediate psychiatric care and reduce the number of people who end up being temporarily kept in police cells while undergoing serious problems.
Nottingham has high rates of some mental illnessnes – around one in ten people in the city alone are thought to have clinical depression.
Geoff Curtis, the chairman of Nottinghamshire charity the Carers’ Council – Allies in Mental Health, says the new funding Notts will struggle to scratch the surface and the Government will need to provide far more to meet demand.
The government needs to pull its finger out
Me Curtis said: “We’re looking at a spend of £600,000 but £6m would disappear in months and still we would be struggling.
“The Government needs to pull its finger out on mental healthcare.
“National statistics show that one in five people at some times in their lives will experience mental ill health, whether that is in the short or long term.”
New facilities which will be funded after the bid by NHS Nottinghamshire Healthcare
- Crisis cafe
- New psychiatric decision making unit
- Refurbishment to existing health-based place of safety
- Street triage vehicles for use across East Midlands
Mr Curtis, from Hucknall, is a carer himself and looks after his wife, who has a mental health disorder.
He said: “She’s been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and at the moment her medication is working very well.
“She’s able to lead a life that’s less difficult than what it’s been in the past.
“Things have changed a great deal compared to thirty years ago with there now being more awareness of mental health issues.”
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “When a person is experiencing a mental health crisis they need the right care in the right place and at the right time.
“We are fully committed to improving mental health services across the country and these projects will help support people at a crucial time.”
