NHS Confederation - Commitment for mental health services in Budget is a ‘welcome step’, says Mental Health Network

30 Oct 2018 08:59 AM

Sean Duggan, chief executive of the Mental Health Network, which is part of the NHS Confederation, responded to yesterday’s Budget announcement that the mental health sector will receive a £2 billion funding increase 

“The prospect of an additional £2 billion of funding for mental health by 2023/24 is a welcome step on the journey towards true parity of esteem.

“The scale of the challenge the sector faces cannot be underestimated. Last week’s report from the IPPR concludes that a five per cent annual increase in the mental health budget is absolutely necessary in order to achieve true parity with physical health.

“It is positive to see that specialist crisis teams for children and younger people will be set up in every part of the country as we know how important it is to address mental illness as early as possible. However, we must keep our eyes on the immediate needs of our core inpatient and community mental health services, and we must also remember that social care, capital budgets and public health will need additional funding.”