Why should you take on mental health first?
Mental health problems account for 23 per cent of all GP consultations and will underly many more. One pound in every eight the NHS spends goes on mental health services making it by far the biggest single programme budget.
At Rethink Mental Illness, we are committed to making things better for people affected by mental illness.
Getting things right for this complex, high-cost group would have a big impact on the overall health and wellbeing of your patients, and lead to significant cost savings.
As a leading mental health membership charity and voluntary sector service provider, with a presence in every county, we know there are many opportunities to improve on the current system.
We don’t provide formal commissioning support, but can offer a range of free and paid-for help, advice and services, all of which can improve health and reduce costs in your area.
We are already working with GP leaders around the country to find new ways of meeting their patients’ mental health needs, and would like to work with you to create a better mental health system where you are.
There are lots of ways we could work together. Please get in touch with us to discuss how we can help identify and meet mental health needs in your area - call 0300 5000 927 or email commissioning@rethink.org
Here are just some of the ways we can help:
Identifying need and involving patients
"We really need to make sure that service users and carers are empowered to shape the services they need.” Dr Asad Sadiq
As you start to map local need and develop plans for commissioning and service redesign, we can help you to get the views of local patients and their families and build links with local communities.
Improving health and reducing costs
As an outcomes-focussed organisation, we are committed to intervening early to prevent mental health problems getting worse and avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital. We can help you identify opportunities to save money and improve outcomes in your area.
Managing severe mental illness in primary care
“The continuing success of the ‘Good Thinking’ service … could not have been achieved without the support of a third sector organisation committed to care models that really work for service users…” Dr Terri Eynon
Many people with conditions such as bipolar and schizophrenia can be successfully managed in primary care; we can provide additional support for practice staff to reduce co-morbidity and referrals to secondary services. For example, our innovative ‘Good Thinking’ service provides specialist mental health facilitators who work in primary care.
Patient choice
People with mental illness often feel excluded from choice initiatives. We have a long history of providing independent advice and information to help people with mental health problems choose the right treatment and support for them, and can help GPs in their role as patient advocates. For example, our ‘Only the Best’ guide to medication is “an essential information resource for all patients and family care-givers” (Dr David Shiers)
Measuring outcomes
We welcome the increasing emphasis on outcomes in mental health services, and see Patient Reported Outcomes Measures (PROMs) as an opportunity to move to an even more person-centred, goal-focussed way of working. We are in the process of implementing integrated support and outcome capture tools around personal goal planning across Rethink Mental Illness.
We provide over 500 services and groups around the country for people affected by mental illness; there may be a Rethink Mental Illness service or group near you, which you could refer your patients to now. We can also help your patients to self-manage through DH-accredited information, peer support groups and our Rethink Talk online forum.
Working in partnership to provide national guidance
We are involved in national work with the Royal College of GPs and other partners to provide current and future mental health commissioners with knowledge, practical guidance tools, evidence, and insight.
