Mental health services in the North West failing to keep up with demand
The analysis – carried out for the TUC by the NHS Support Federation – shows that in the last five years the number of patients accessing mental health services in the region has risen by more than 77,000 (+28%).
However, over the same period the number of mental health nurses in the North West has remained virtually static and there are fewer beds for people struggling with their mental health.
The research shows that since 2013:
- The number of beds for mental health patients in the region has slumped by 221 (-7%).
- The number of NHS mental health nurses in the region has increased by just 11.
- The number of NHS mental health doctors in the region has increased (+8%), but at a much slower rate than demand.
Mental health provision by English region
|
Region |
change in beds |
change in doctors |
change in nurses |
change in demand |
||||
|
% |
Number |
% |
Number |
% |
Number |
% |
Number |
|
|
East of England |
-35% |
-818 |
-16% |
-134 |
-10% |
-498 |
30% |
+39,867 |
|
East Midlands |
-15% |
-272 |
-3% |
-21 |
-3% |
-224 |
14% |
+22,664 |
|
London |
-12% |
-692 |
3% |
+58 |
6% |
+527 |
78% |
+190,195 |
|
North East |
-16% |
-274 |
5% |
+27 |
12% |
+409 |
37% |
+37,853 |
|
North West |
-7% |
-221 |
8% |
+82 |
0% |
+11 |
28% |
+77,257 |
|
South East |
-15% |
-422 |
-8% |
-91 |
-10% |
-692 |
17% |
+41,959 |
|
South West |
5% |
+69 |
-1% |
-4 |
12% |
+629 |
34% |
+50,425 |
|
West Midlands |
-13% |
-283 |
-2% |
-15 |
-7% |
-309 |
37% |
+61,778 |
|
Yorks and Humber |
-2% |
-41 |
-14% |
-88 |
-6% |
-268 |
12% |
+18,935 |
|
England |
-13% |
-2,954 |
-2% |
-186 |
-1% |
-415 |
+33% |
+540,933 |
Source: NHS Digital
The TUC says the unprecedented squeeze on health service funding and health workers’ pay are key reasons behind the fall in capacity.
NHS mental health trusts have seen their income cut by more than a £100million in real-terms since 2012.
And the clampdown on pay in the NHS has hit staffing levels, with more than one in 10 mental health posts currently vacant.
Unions are calling on the Chancellor to use this month’s budget to:
- Increase Department of Health spending to 5% – the amount the IFS and Health Foundation say is required to achieve significant improvements in health outcomes.
- Reverse the cuts to local authority and school funding that have also impacted on local mental and public health services, particularly for children.
Mental illness is estimated to cost the UK economy between £74bn and £99bn a year.
TUC Regional Secretary Lynn Collins said: “The Prime Minister promised to tackle the ‘burning injustice’ of inadequate treatment for mental illness. But years of underfunding has created a staffing crisis in mental health services and a huge shortage of beds.
“This month’s Budget must provide urgent funding for the NHS, schools and councils. They need more resources to help people struggling with their mental health.”
Notes to editors:
- The analysis covers all of England’s NHS Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs). These are the 44 areas where local NHS organisations and councils draw up proposals to improve health and care in the areas they serve.
- Of England’s 44 NHS STPs:
- More than three-quarters (36) have seen a fall in the number of available beds for people struggling with their mental health.
- More than half (23) have seen a fall in the number of mental health nurses (including both in-patient and community nurses).
- Half (22) have seen a fall in the number of doctors working with mental health patients.
Mental health provision by STP
|
Region |
STP |
change in beds |
change in doctors |
change in nurses |
change in demand |
|
East Midlands |
Derbyshire |
-22% |
-1% |
3% |
33% |
|
East Midlands |
Lincolnshire |
3% |
-3% |
-6% |
-27% |
|
East Midlands |
Nottinghamshire |
-16% |
0% |
-7% |
14% |
|
East Midlands |
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland |
-100% |
-3% |
-6% |
43% |
|
East Midlands |
Northamptonshire |
-6% |
-11% |
5% |
43% |
|
East of England |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough |
-25% |
8% |
79% |
14% |
|
East of England |
Norfolk and Waveney |
-30% |
-13% |
-20% |
72% |
|
East of England |
Suffolk and North East Essex |
-25% |
-10% |
32% |
16% |
|
East of England |
Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and |
-100% |
|||
|
East of England |
Hertfordshire and West Essex |
-14% |
10% |
-14% |
103% |
|
East of England |
Mid and South Essex |
-55% |
-55% |
-49% |
-24% |
|
London |
North West London |
38% |
-2% |
6% |
52% |
|
London |
North Central London |
-2% |
0% |
15% |
52% |
|
London |
North East London |
15% |
11% |
11% |
221% |
|
London |
South East London |
-43% |
3% |
-4% |
27% |
|
London |
South West London |
-7% |
-5% |
2% |
32% |
|
North East |
Northumberland, Tyne & Wear |
-28% |
2% |
10% |
9% |
|
North East |
Durham, Darlington, Tees, |
-2% |
8% |
13% |
69% |
|
North West |
West, North & East Cumbria |
10% |
0% |
1% |
11% |
|
North West |
Lancashire and South Cumbria |
-5% |
16% |
-7% |
27% |
|
North West |
Greater Manchester |
-28% |
15% |
-7% |
20% |
|
North West |
Cheshire and Merseyside |
16% |
0% |
15% |
40% |
|
South East |
Kent and Medway |
-14% |
-13% |
-5% |
23% |
|
South East |
Sussex and East Surrey |
-13% |
-17% |
1% |
33% |
|
South East |
Frimley Health |
-26% |
11% |
-14% |
41% |
|
South East |
Surrey Heartlands |
-31% |
-9% |
-9% |
|
|
South East |
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight |
-11% |
-13% |
-11% |
-13% |
|
South East |
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and |
-10% |
2% |
-17% |
10% |
|
South West |
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly |
-9% |
28% |
111% |
28% |
|
South West |
Devon |
5% |
-11% |
-3% |
35% |
|
South West |
Somerset |
-20% |
8% |
-6% |
10% |
|
South West |
Bristol, North Somerset and South |
-100% |
|||
|
South West |
Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire |
-1% |
-2% |
9% |
33% |
|
South West |
Dorset |
159% |
-2% |
3% |
108% |
|
South West |
Gloucestershire |
-4% |
-6% |
-4% |
-8% |
|
West Midlands |
Staffordshire |
-1% |
13% |
4% |
112% |
|
West Midlands |
Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin |
-13% |
15% |
-1% |
-5% |
|
West Midlands |
The Black Country |
-17% |
-7% |
-7% |
32% |
|
West Midlands |
Birmingham and Solihull |
-14% |
-11% |
-8% |
51% |
|
West Midlands |
Coventry and Warwickshire |
-13% |
1% |
-14% |
23% |
|
West Midlands |
Herefordshire and Worcestershire |
-17% |
88% |
||
|
Yorks and Humber |
West Yorkshire and Harrogate |
-17% |
-20% |
16% |
16% |
|
Yorks and Humber |
Coast, Humber and Vale |
-17% |
-3% |
-26% |
-11% |
|
Yorks and Humber |
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw |
73% |
-11% |
-14% |
18% |
- The table above shows figures for each STP by region. Please note that there may be some outlier STPs where change in beds or staffing may be attributed to closures or transfers of services between STP areas.
- Figures for beds, doctors and nurses are taken from NHS Digital. These figures were aligned with the 44 STP areas in England.
- Doctors includes: forensic psychiatry, general psychiatry, old-age psychiatry.
- Nurses includes: community learning disabilities nurses, community mental health nurses and health visitors.
- NHS digital does not provide data from some NHS trusts within its mental health clusters. This has reduced the figures in the following STPs: Hereford and Worcestershire, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
- In some cases mental health beds and workforce are provided by a trust in a neighbouring STPs or a non-NHS provider. This explains why the data appears abnormally low in the following STPs: Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and Luton, Bristol, N Somerset and S Gloucestershire.
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