Government abolishes arbitrary age limit on mental health services

The Royal College welcomes end to discrimination

Edited by Nick Adams: Tens–of–thousands of people over the age of 65 are denied access to specialist mental health services because of arbitrary age limits, according to a recent report from The Royal College of Psychiatrists UK.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists said that all mental health services should be available to people on the basis of need, not age, and called for the arbitrary age limit on adult mental health services to be abolished.

Currently, if someone is 65 years–old, they can receive a wide–range of support through adult mental health services. But over 65’s in an older people’s service are denied access to a range of services available to younger adults, such as psychological therapies, early intervention, rehabilitation and addiction services, regardless of their clinical need.

Health Secretary’s announcement

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has welcomed the Health Secretary’s announcement that age discrimination in NHS and social care will be outlawed from 2012.

Last month in the House of Commons, the College launched a new position statement, Age Discrimination in mental health services: making equality a reality.

The College says that it is now crucial that these changes to the law translate into concrete action at a local level and, come 2012, older people will have equal access to vital mental health services, such as psychological therapies, 24–hour crisis home treatment, and early diagnosis and intervention.

Visit The Royal College of Psychiatrists online at: www.rcpsych.ac.uk.

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The Royal College urges action to tackle dangers of pro-anorexia websites

Psychiatrists seek better protection for youngsters

Edited by Nick Adams: The Royal College of Psychiatrists has called on the Government to take further action to protect vulnerable young people from the harmful influence of pro–eating disorder websites.

According to The Royal College the number of so–called ‘pro–ana’ [pro–anorexia] and ‘pro–mia’ [pro-bulimia] websites has soared in recent years with the growth of social networking.

In September 2008, the Government established the UK Council for Child Internet Safety to deliver recommendations made by Professor Tanya Byron in her report, Safer Children in a Digital World.

But members of The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ eating disorders section claim the Council’s plans for action do not go far enough because they fail to specifically address pro–eating disorder websites. In a new position paper published recently, The Royal College of Psychiatrists calls on the Council to:

• expand its definition of harmful web content to include pro–eating disorder websites,

• extend its plans to moderate internet sites that promote harmful behaviour to include pro–eating disorder websites,

• specifically address pro–eating disorder websites in its plans to raise awareness of e–safety among parents and teachers.

Professor Schmidt, chair of The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ eating disorders section, said: “Pro–ana and pro–mia websites advocate anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa as a lifestyle choice, rather than as serious mental disorders. Research shows that, even for healthy young women, viewing such websites induces low mood, low self–esteem and increased body dissatisfaction.

“The broader societal context in which pro–ana and pro–mia sites thrive is one where young women are constantly bombarded with toxic images of supposed female perfection that are impossible to achieve, make women feel bad about themselves and significantly increase their risk of eating disorders.”

Visit The Royal College of Psychiatrists online at: www.rcpsych.ac.uk.

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Royal College of General Practitioners wants out-of-hours care review

Concerns are raised over the use of European doctors

Edited by Nick Adams: The United Kingdom’s [UK] Royal College of General Practitioners [RCGP] has recently announced that they are worried about the quality of out-of-hours and weekend care that is provided for patients in some parts of the country and they went on to state that they believe that a review is needed.

Professor Steve Field, chairman of the RCGP, said, “A comprehensive review of out–of–hours and weekend care is needed. I am particularly worried about the use of doctors from Europe flying in to provide out of hours care and then flying back to their home countries to provide services there. It’s not good for patients here or in their home countries.

“Doctors from Europe who come to the UK to work in out of hour’s services must prove they are of the same quality as our home-grown doctors. We are not convinced there are appropriate checks in place to ensure they are.

“All UK–trained doctors now have to reach the standard set by the RCGP by passing our examination, which includes spending time in a training practice. European doctors don’t necessarily have such rigorous assessments or experience of working in UK practices.

“It is the responsibility of primary care organisations to ensure that patients receive good quality care by commissioning appropriate services. This is obviously not working – we are concerned patients are not getting the care they deserve.

"We believe a radical review of out–of–hours and weekend care is needed. We know that care in many parts of the country is excellent, and indeed in many areas provided by GPs who choose to work in out–of–hour’s services, but the quality of care appears to be patchy around the country.

“Our patients deserve high–quality care, wherever they live in the UK.”

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British Pharmaceutical Industry calls for more investment in research

Life sciences vital for economic upturn, says report

Edited by Nick Adams: A better environment for the United Kingdom’s [UK] life sciences’ sector is vital for the country’s economic recovery, to safeguard jobs and the future health of the nation, reveals a new report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

The study, called A manifesto for life sciences, Prescription for Innovation, was launched with the support of the Confederation British Industry, Imperial College and the patients’ organisation National Voices.

It explains that rapid improvements in research and development are required for the UK to remain competitive and to attract and retain investment, and this extends to the top-level jobs that go with it.

Chris Brinsmead, President of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, which represents UK-based companies that research, develop and manufacture innovative medicines said: “Britain should build on its great capability in life sciences, with the National Health Service, academia and industry working together.”

For further information visit the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s website: www.abpi.org.uk.

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People with mental distress treated badly by justice system, says report

Both victims and witnesses often not seen as credible

Edited by Nick Adams: A House of Commons Justice Committee report has criticised the criminal justice system, in the United Kingdom, for the way it treats people with mental health needs.

The Committee announced that it was deeply concerned that victims and witnesses with psychological conditions were often not recognised by prosecutors to be potentially credible witnesses.

The Justice Committee’s report also states concerns about the increased use of conditional cautions, the lack of an effective complaints system, and the proportion of cases taken by in–house advocates.

It goes on to say that the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions need to show clear leadership in defining the role of the prosecutor in the criminal justice system.

The Committee welcomed the Crown Proscecution Service [CPS] efforts to engage with victims and witnesses, and calls for a major effort to do this consistently, but the report says that Government proclamations that the prosecutor is the champion of victims’ rights are ‘a damaging misrepresentation of reality’ and risk raising expectations which will ‘inevitably be disappointed’.

The CPS, says the report, should be an independent arbiter that represents the public as a whole, rather than individuals.

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Local government ‘continuing to make efficiency savings’, says chairman

More council job cuts expected over the next year

Edited by Andy Porter: In response to on–going debates about the future of public spending, Cllr Margaret Eaton, chairman of the Local Government Association, said recently:

“Local government is the most efficient part of the public sector and made savings of more than three billion pounds between 2004 and 2007. Councils up–and–down the country are working hard to cope with a perfect storm of falling income and increased demand for services brought about by the recession.

“At this time of repossessions and redundancies, even more people need the vital support that only councils can provide. Town halls are taking decisive action to protect local people and businesses from the worst effects of the recession. They are helping to keep people in their own homes, offering support to the unemployed and helping small companies stay afloat.

“The tough economic outlook is forcing councils to take a look at almost every aspect of their finances. Thousands of council jobs have been cut in recent months and it is expected more will go over the course of the next year. Local government has delivered the lowest council tax rise for over a decade and is continuing to make big efficiency savings.

“Town halls make their own decisions about local priorities but all councils are committed to providing the best possible services to taxpayers, and that means ensuring as much money as possible is spent on the frontline services that millions of people depend on.”

Local Government Association online at: www.lga.gov.uk.

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