Extra £2m is needed to improve mental healthcare intelligence, conference hears

Mental healthcare remains blighted by “unacceptable and extreme variation” in access to services, a leading NHS England expert has said. Geraldine Strathdee, NHS England’s national clinical director for mental health, said that £2m (€2.7m; $3.1m) extra investment was needed in data and intelligence gathering to speed up improvements to care.

She said that many people, including those experiencing a “crisis,” could not readily get information, advice, and effective treatment. While in some parts of the country almost 90% of people were receiving physical health checks and treatment if they had a severe mental health problem, elsewhere it could be 30%. “That is unacceptable variation,” she said. “We know how to speed up improvement—why aren’t we doing it?”

Strathdee was speaking at a seminar called “Next steps for mental health: funding, resources and policy priorities” held …