Reflections from the NHS: James Mole, Director, Healthcare Communications.
When I worked in the NHS, Claire Murdoch always used to talk about the journey of care through her 30 years as a nurse.
Claire, until recently the Head of Mental Health Services at the NHS, would compare favourably the night and day shift in attitudes and practice over recent decades.
From the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality of cold, secure asylums in the middle of nowhere that used to qualify as ‘care’ for those with mental ill health.
To today’s community-based, therapy-led and whole-person support that we all – rightly – expect as standard.
The health service today is required to provide what it calls ‘parity of esteem’ for mental and physical health: the idea that problems with the mind and problems with the body are equally serious and deserving of care.
That idea is at risk today.
In a parting shot at the government, Claire warned that funding for mental health services “fell last year and will again this year. It likely will continue to do so over the next 3 years. I hope I am wrong”.
And with so many people unable to work due to mental ill health, Whitehall is beginning to push back, amid concerns about excess claims.
While ministers quite reasonably scrutinise a growing area of spending, critics of their approach worry that some people will miss out on support they need.
And recent polling commissioned by Hanover showed that along with cancer, mental health is one of the areas that the public most wants prioritised as ministers reconfigure the NHS.
The mental health sector – debate, services, understanding, research, treatment - is mature and mainstream now in a fashion that would have been unrecognisable until only as recently as the late 20th century.
That’s an incredible achievement.
The next phase of the journey is how – in a world of scarcity and scepticism – to protect and target support and funding for those who need it most, when they need it most.
At Hanover, we’re committed to fostering a workplace where people feel supported, especially when things feel uncertain or overwhelming.
Colleagues also play their part in supporting others beyond work. For example, Emma Liddiard volunteers with Samaritans, offering a listening ear to people at some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Through this work, she reminds us of the power of empathy and connection, that sometimes, simply being there to listen can make a real difference.
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