Fears grow over care of mentally ill as GPs say they don't want the job

[sam247]

Fears grow over care of mentally ill as GPs say they don't want the job | Society | The Observer

 

Mental health campaigners fear that a "postcode lottery writ large" will leave vulnerable people without care as doctors indicate they do not want to take on responsibility for services for the mentally ill.

 

Two polls of family doctors have revealed that an overwhelming number don't feel able to take on the role of providing services for patients with mental health problems.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of the mental health charity Mind, said there were increasing reports of services being cut. Mind has seen a huge increase over the past two weeks in the numbers of people contacting it worried about possible cuts to incapacity benefit

[carlp1962]

Mental health does seem to be a dirty word for so many health professionals.

 

Mental illness is an illness, full stop. Remember the fact that one in four people will suffer from a mental illness during their life.

 

We do have haver a postcode lottery for care already. In Birmingham, there is ample support and treatment for patients, but only in the south part of the city. In the northern part of Birmingham we are facing cuts and has professionals retire their positions are not being filled. At the moment we do not have a single psychologist for the whole of North Birmingham.

 

The psychiatrists just keep on administering drugs and even ECT as talk therapy is not available. However travel five miles to a different postcode and it is a different story.

 

We have to keep fighting, but everything takes so long in the NHS. Never give up. Use the complaint procedure, use the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Remember doctors and consultants are people just like us. Tell it as it is and don't put them on a pedestal.

Edited July 29, 2010 by carlp1962
clarity of word ombudsman