[Admin - Rethink]

The New NHS - What It Means For Us

Live chat with Rethink policy specialist from 12.30 on Thursday 25 November

Hi All,

How do you feel about a future where GPs will commission health services in their area? What do you most want to see changed about the current model, with Primary Care Trusts etc.?

Please post your questions and thoughts about NHS reforms here!

Here are some things that Rethink have already said around this subject:

Our report: NHS Reform 2010, making it work for mental health

1 Oct - GP survey underlines BMA warnings over NHS plans

12 July - White paper to hand mental health commissioning to GPs, but most don’t have necessary expertise

[alienpresence]

Given the agenda is already set this is a public relations afterthought isn't it? Those opinions that coincide with the agenda will be amplified and doubts or deep concerns will be sidelined. I'd rather not give my opinion after a decision is made....but I don't feel happy that my medical regime is likely to be decided by someone with no significant mental health training along with a budget to watch.

[DeletedMember]

My GP says this reform will be a disaster. He is yet to speak to another GP who thinks it is a good idea. He's a doctor, not an accountant. It's a clever way to shift blame from central government to the doctors surgery' as is most of their policies, shift responsibilty. I think the government like to refer to it as empowerment...

So what does it mean for us? GP surgeries will be run like a business and the private sector involvment will make the NHS even more of postcode lottery. My GP is top quality, it took me years to fins a good doctor, but i'm not sure about his accountancy skills... It stinks to high heaven and it will be those with the quietest voices who will be hit the hardest - just like welfare reform. This government's whole phillosophy is 'the strongest will survive'. Andrew Lansley can kiss my arse.

Ditko
x

[I am an Aardvark]

What does it mean? LOL - That the Government, Society, & the MH system couldn't give a dam about people like us - same as it ever was, same as it ever was.........A Joke.

[Admin - Rethink]

Is everyone clear on what's planned, or does any of it seem confusing or unclear?

[alienpresence]

Chris - Rethink, on 10 November 2010 - 10:03 AM, said:

Is everyone clear on what's planned, or does any of it seem confusing or unclear?

I'm confused but that's about to change I should imagine?

[ramboghettouk]

My inner city gp will be given a sum of money to buy serevices, he'll have to spend it on a big no of needy people, my gp doesn't have many patients in good health not needing help like in the rich areas

My gp will have to invest in admin staff, as a small surgery he'll have problems, the admin staff will concentrate on the procedures they know well and use a lot, any procedure that would help weirdo me as a minority of one will be ignored

[DeletedMember]

ramboghettouk, on 10 November 2010 - 03:09 PM, said:

My inner city gp will be given a sum of money to buy serevices, he'll have to spend it on a big no of needy people, my gp doesn't have many patients in good health not needing help like in the rich areas

My gp will have to invest in admin staff, as a small surgery he'll have problems, the admin staff will concentrate on the procedures they know well and use a lot, any procedure that would help weirdo me as a minority of one will be ignored

This is roughly how my GP described it. He's brutally honest and very straight talking. I'm sure the politicians version will have a different take in it. You can't kid a kidder.

[CaptSpaceBat]

Some months ago, I went through my usual regular process of pestering my GP to get on to my psychiatrist to find some suitable treatment. My shrink explained, with tears in her eyes, that there were no psychotherapeutic services available in the area. This came as a shock to my GP, who had been busily referring others in a similar plight to these non-existent services.

Further attempts at elucidation of this bizarre situation - with threats of recourse to UN legislation - resulted in the most mealy-mouthed of initial responses, which - after due consideration and reflection - ended with a suggestion of referral to a necessarily specialist service. That. I am pleased to say - although in its early stages - seems to be garnering results. One of the consequences of taking up this service was that I had to remove myself from other support networks, for fear that their co-mingling might be counter-productive. I was forced to choose: "Daddy or Chips?"

This I feel is an entirely unfair situation, although it was eventually explained to me; one of the many problems seem to be that little is explained in advance - especially during the early stages of diagnosis - which makes opting for a sensible elected course of situational management and, hopefully, route to "recovery" when one is probably in the least able position to make either sensible or elective decisions seems to be a total dereliction of duty of care by the State and its operatives.

For Goodness' sake, when I came to ask, repeatedly, for help, I was turned away. What faith can I - or anyone? - have in such a system that says "wait until we have undergone a spending review, realised we cannot fund it " and - well - try to fight for healthcare provision against the vested interests of our new medicinal overlords (GPs, Pharma and their NICE pushers ) and their obscene salaries for providing at best a service that should either be out-sourced or user-led?

[Admin - Rethink]

BBC Today programme piece 'Shaking up the NHS'

http://news.bbc.co.u...000/9194914.stm

[raz]

local doctor where I live is not that good when you go and see the doctor your only in 3 minutes. I dont think he can make decisions about anything.

and when you make a appointment you get one four days later

[ebonycat]

What will happen to direct payments they come from the Mental Health budgets

Will GPs value home help and alternitive therapies or holidays for service users?

[firemonkey]

I can't see my gp being that helpful when it comes to buying services for mental health problems. If i go about a mental health issue he passes the buck, but if i go about a physical problem he invariably says it's to do with my being mentally ill.
I have not seen him for 5 years and he has not asked to see me to see how i am in that time.

[DeletedMember]

This is a good idea...

http://www.telegraph...P-bookings.html

... like pretending you have a bomb in your hand luggage at the airport is a good idea.

[alienpresence]

Ditko, on 19 November 2010 - 04:00 AM, said:

This is a good idea...

http://www.telegraph...http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8144120/Remote-call-centres-could-handle-GP-bookings.html

... like pretending you have a bomb in your hand luggage at the airport is a good idea.

More pyramidal control systems and even as Cameron preaches giving power away with one hand he's centralizing critical elements of social control with the other. It's a shell game and power grab from the centre. Did the politican promise the people sweeties? Big surprise....looks like the politican lied again!

[DeletedMember]

http://www.guardian....-unrest-reforms

These proposals are insane, nobody other than the government thinks they will improve anything, just more ideoligy.

The New NHS - What It Means For Us... I'm not sure yet, but it's becoming clearer.

[Antonia - Rethink]

Hi everyone. My name is Antonia Borneo and I am the policy manager based in Rethink's Campaigns team. We have been paying close attention to the proposals made for NHS reform, although there is still a lot of detail as yet undecided by government. We are currently making sure that parliamentarians, the Department of Health and key stakeholders hear about our concerns. As time goes on, we will be making sure we engage proactively with GPs and local authorities more locally. I will do my best to provide information on the reforms, and answer any questions.

As a quick recap, here are some of the key changes being proposed by the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley.

- Groups of GPs, called GP Consortia, to take over responsibility for decisions and spending on health services.
NHS commissioning Board to be established 2011-12, and shadow GP Consortia to be in place.

- NICE will be developing 150 ‘standards’ setting out the essentials of good quality provision that patients should expect for different health conditions. GP Consortia will have to demonstrate that they are working to these standards.

- LINKs will be developed to become a local and national HealthWatch

- GP Consortia and local authorities will assess local needs and plan service provision together through new Health and Wellbeing Boards

- Local authorities will have new responsibilities for public health i.e. prevention and health promotion

- There will be greater focus on health outcomes, rather than targets, and so far these outcomes include several measures specific to mental illness

[Admin - Rethink]

Hi all, I can see Antonia typing away, so we will be answering questions on the new NHS any second now!

[Edit - she beat me to it...]

Chris

[celticchickadee]

I cannot see that these reforms have, certainly in the short-medium terms, anything likely to be good news for mental health. Not only is there the issue of lack of expertise, and in some cases even motivation, to provide and improve care in mental health, but there is also the liklihood that mental health will suffer disproportionatley in financial terms. We are already seeing the access to psychological services programme suffering despite commitments, still being repeated by Minsters, to expand and build on the success of these - in the same week that service closures and job losses are being announced.

Although Lansley seems to have a high degree of selective deafness if anyone says anything other than how wonderful these reforms are, I feel that organisations such as Rethink need to continue to lobby vigorously on the health white paper. There is such a lack of public facing information from the government that many people have no clue what this really means, and it is tragic that patient organisations are being left to do this with the limited resources they have, though it is just as well they do take this on!

[Antonia - Rethink]

Hi alienpresence You commented that opinions are being sought after the agenda being set. We know that these plans are quite firm because the coalition government went straight into announcing the reforms, consulting only on the detail of this. However, the details of the changes are yet to be determined, and the changes to health law to allow the reforms will go through Parliament in the Spring. It is therefore more important than ever that we all engage at local and national levels to ensure that new NHS structures work effectively for mental health. It's imrportant to raise mental health up the agenda now with key players so ensure we don't get sidelined in the new NHS.