Tories: Services are patchy
Friday, 07 Dec 2007 11:12
Services for mental health patients are "patchy" as a result of a drive to make short-term savings, the Conservatives have claimed.
Commenting on a National Audit Office (NAO) report into crisis resolution home treatment (CRHT) teams, the Tories described the teams' work as "vital".
The NAO concluded that CRHT teams have a positive impact on local acute mental health services, increasing patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes.
But it warned more resources and support are necessary for them to fulfil their potential.
"What's clear is that the effective roll-out of these services are, at best, patchy across the country and yet these teams not only deliver crucial support during a crisis, they allow people to stay out of hospital making recovery much quicker," said shadow health minister Anne Milton.
"Yet again in the NHS we're seeing misplaced short-tem savings being put ahead of long-term benefits. The government's NHS plan in 2000 made CRHT services a national priority but what we're seeing is another failure to deliver on promises made - people with mental health problems need and deserve better."
