SIGNIFICANT new mental health funding is set to improve patients’ lives across the region with a share of £70 million earmarked for 11 areas going into care models for young, working age, and older adults, writes Sophie Baram.
The ‘early implementer’ money for Herefordshire and Worcestershire – estimated to be around £5 million – is billed as ‘a powerful and positive impact’ and comes courtesy of the two counties’ Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) funding.
In January this year, The NHS Long Term Plan made a commitment to improve mental health services.
The plan, which runs until 2024, lays out how NHS Improvement will work with local systems to improve primary and community mental health care, giving 360,000 adults across the UK per year greater control over their lives.
Being one of the early implementer sites, Herefordshire and Worcestershire will also use the funding for test models that cover adult eating and personality disorders.
Sarah Dugan, the chief executive of Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust said she was delighted the funding had been secured for such an important issue.
Simon Trickett, accountable officer of Herefordshire and Worcestershire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group said: “Our share of the £70 million is expected to be just over £5 million over two years, allowing us to be seriously ambitious in our approach to community health during the two year testing phase.
“This is fantastic news for people across the two counties.”
