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Treated as people: an overview of mental health services from a social care perspective 2002-2004
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health. Social Services Inspectorate
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health. Social Services Inspectorate
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 2p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Key messages from the report include the following. The use of Direct Payments in supporting the independence of mental health service users and their carers is very under-developed. Numbers receiving such payments have increased, but slowly and from a very low base. Organisational change is a necessary part of the reform of mental health services. But it can easily dominate activity and dilute good services. It requires clear focus and leadership, and attention to human resources, from management capacity to the caseloads of individual team members. Reports from the local teams (LITs) implementing the National Service Framework (NSF) for mental health include much encouraging news, and indications of progress in many areas. Some good work is reported in relation to work with carers: less, in relation to culturally appropriate services for black and ethnic minority service users. From inspections there is evidence of many good, individual services promoting and supporting the social care of service users. But the coordination which would make these initiatives work together as a coherent strategy against social exclusion is often lacking. At the same time, individual, often good services targeting the employment or accommodation of service users are currently inadequate to meet demand. Meeting these needs should be a priority for councils and their partners.