The financial case for a reasonable rebalancing of health and care resources
Bridging the Gap states that under-investment in mental health services and a lack of integration with physical health services have created a bottleneck in health care improvement, constrained physical health outcomes and impaired broader economic performance.
The report finds that a rebalancing of health and care resources is needed to ensure no one is denied the mental or physical health care they need. It uses the examples of mental health support for people with long-term conditions, medically unexplained symptoms and dementia to show how this rebalancing could both radically improve patient outcomes and make the NHS more efficient.
The report states that every hospital should have a comprehensive liaison psychiatry service as well improved dementia care. It also looks at how further training and support for GPs, nurses and other NHS staff can help them understand and look after their patients’ mental health and significantly improve the quality of care they offer. And calls on the Secretary of State for Health to mandate the NHS to bridge the resource and treatment gap between mental and physical health care.
