The report, Review of the Provider Market for Mental Health Services, has been produced jointly by the NHS Confederation's Mental Health Network (MHN) and Mental Health Strategies. It shows that more than three quarters (77 per cent) of the £7.19 billion NHS investment in adult and older people’s mental health services in 2010-11 was used to commission services from statutory providers, a total of £5.57 billion.
The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current landscape of NHS-funded mental health service provision in England.
Commenting on the publication, interim director of the NHS Confederation's Mental Health Network Paddy Cooney said:
"Understanding how the market in mental health works is absolutely critical, both for the development of future policy and services, as well as for the implementation of existing policy relating to competition and patient choice.
"This report draws together a substantial amount of information about the mental health market, and for the first time helps us understand how resources are allocated to providers across the whole spectrum of mental health care."
The full report is now available on the NHS Confederation website and a summary briefing has been produced for members of the Mental Health Network.