Mental health social care: supporting recovery, promoting independence, changing lives

Read our new briefing, Mental health social care: supporting recovery, promoting independence, changing lives.

With the Prime Minister’s promise in July 2019 to “fix social care, once and for all”, there is a new interest in social care, who uses it and what difference it makes to people’s lives but the important role of social care plays in supporting the nation’s mental health is not always understood.

Mental health social care services allow people of all ages to access appropriate aftercare after a stay in hospital, to stay well, live independently, participate in community life and prevent their mental health from getting worse.

With white papers on adult social care and health and social care integration just around the corner, it has never been more crucial to government to announce reforms for social care that address the needs of those severely affected by mental illness. With one in every £12 spent on social care going toward mental health social care support, no plans to reform mental health social care can be considered comprehensive without it.

Our new briefing takes things back to basics, outlining the key services and skilled professionals that make up mental health social care services, what these services mean to people severely affected by mental illness and their carers and what the government must do next. 

Download our mental health and social care briefing

For more information about this briefing, please contact Harvey Crawford, Policy Manager (Health and Social Care): harvey.crawford@rethink.org.