Nursing Standard, The Heights, 59-65 Lowlands Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill HA1 3AW Tel +44 (0)20 8423 1066 Email [email protected] You can email staff at Nursing Standard in the following way: (first name).(second name)@rcnpublishing.co.uk ISSN 0029-6570
Editorial Graham Scott EDITOR
@NSeditor
ART & SCIENCE Editor Gwen Clarke 020 8872 3158 @NSclinicalEd Deputy editor Tanya Fernandes (maternity leave) Acting deputy editor Noreen Begley 020 8872 3405 @ClinEd_NS Clinical editors Beth Knight 020 8872 3157 @nsartandsci Ed Rowe 020 8872 3180 @edrowe0
This myopic approach to mental health must stop
NEWS AND VIEWS News editor Sarah Harrison (maternity leave) Acting news editor Sally Gillen 020 8872 3144 @Sally_Gillen Acting deputy news editor Kat Keogh 020 8872 3146 @katkeogh Reporters Alistair Kleebauer 020 8872 3145 @alistairbauer Katie Osborne 020 8872 3147 @NS_reporter Features editor Thelma Agnew 020 8872 3163 @ThelmaAgnew Reflections editor Clare Lomas 020 8872 3161 @NS_reflections Development editor Frances Pickersgill 020 8872 3164 @NScareersEd
‘No health without mental health’ was a commonly quoted soundbite by former health secretary Andrew Lansley in the early days of the coalition government. Quite right too: for far too long mental health had been neglected while politicians from all parties fretted over the bad press associated with long queues in A&E, difficulties seeing a GP or community hospital closures.
Editor Graham Scott 020 8872 3190 @NSeditor Deputy editors Elaine Cole 020 8872 3109 @prideinnursing Janet Snell 020 8872 3109 @Janet_Snell Assistant editor Roger Evans 020 8872 3187 @RogerEvansE1 Group educational projects manager Laura Downes RGN
PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Head of production Fiona Maclean Senior production editor Julie Hickey Production manager Arnie Beeson Production editors Sarah Howe, Jennifer Oldfield Deputy production editor Justin Stevens Sub editors Yvonne Byron Nour, Joyce McKimm Web editor Amanda Carter Art director Ken McLoone Deputy art director Minesh Parmar Designer Sujata Aurora Picture editor Philip Brecht Deputy picture editor Helen Jones Assistant picture editor Karen Gordon Production assistant Annette Taylor-Anderson Ad production executives Sally Gauntlett, Sue Horn INDICES Nursing Standard is indexed on these databases: British Nursing Index • CINAHL • Ethnic minorities health: A Current Awareness Bulletin • International Nursing Index • MEDLINE • MIDIRS Midwifery Digest • OSH-ROM (HSELINE) • Palliative Care Index • RNdex SUBSCRIPTIONS Personal rates from £76.80 a year. Telephone +44 (0)345 772 6100 Institutional rates from £675 a year. Email [email protected] Visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk for details. ARCHIVE Personal subscribers have access to a range of Art & Science articles as part of their subscription. Institutional users may purchase permanent access to the Nursing Standard archive (1996 -). AUTHOR GUIDELINES These can be downloaded from www.nursing-standard.co.uk ADVERTISEMENTS Classified +44 (0)20 8423 1333 Display and sponsorship +44 (0)20 8872 3123 Nursing Standard is published every Wednesday by RCN Publishing Company Ltd, the publishing company of the Royal College of Nursing. It seeks to promote professional excellence, and encourage creativity and innovation in nursing, midwifery and health visiting practice. Nursing Standard also aims to enhance nurses’ and healthcare assistants’ career development and to help them achieve and maintain a healthy and rewarding working environment. Nursing Standard is editorially independent and the opinions expressed are not those of the RCN or of the contributor’s employing organisation unless specifically stated. Acceptance of an advertisement does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of a product or service, either by the RCN or RCN Publishing.
www.nursing-standard.co.uk Nursing Standard @NurseStandard nursingblog.rcnpublishing
By contrast, those with a mental illness were stigmatised and stereotyped in the media, with attempts to move care into the community being questioned constantly. Such patients received little or no sympathy, especially when there was a high-profile murder or unprovoked attack attributed to someone with schizophrenia or personality disorder.
THIS GULF BETWEEN RHETORIC AND REALITY IS STARK AND UNACCEPTABLE
Sadly the government’s good intentions appear to have fallen by the wayside over the past few years. Figures released at the weekend by the RCN as part of its Frontline First campaign show there has been a drop of more than 3,300 mental health nursing posts and 1,500 beds in England since 2011. To make matters worse, those with the most experience have been the most likely to go, taking with them years of expertise and knowledge that is impossible to replace. The upshot? Early intervention initiatives have been axed as the focus inevitably shifts to the most serious cases. As a consequence, treatment is delayed, so more people have ended up needing inpatient care and increasing numbers have been sectioned. There has been a rise in detentions under the Mental Health Act of 13 per cent between 2009/10 and 2012/13. This gulf between rhetoric and reality is stark and unacceptable, whatever the financial constraints facing the NHS. As RCN general secretary (and mental health nurse) Peter Carter puts it: ‘We are running the serious risk of turning back the clock and undoing all the good work that has gone before. The sterling work of the nurses and doctors who helped turn this around is in danger of being undone through short-sighted responses to cost pressures.’ See news page 12 Air your views on
Nursing Standard and
@NurseStandard
Have your say by joining our weekly Twitter debate. Every Thursday from 12.30 to 1.30 use #NScomment and share your views with other nurses on a hot topic of the day
:: vol 29without no 13 permission. :: 2014 3 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Oct 03, 2015. For personal november use only. No26 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Editorial Graham Scott EDITOR
@NSeditor
ART & SCIENCE Editor Gwen Clarke 020 8872 3158 @NSclinicalEd Deputy editor Tanya Fernandes (maternity leave) Acting deputy editor Noreen Begley 020 8872 3405 @ClinEd_NS Clinical editors Beth Knight 020 8872 3157 @nsartandsci Ed Rowe 020 8872 3180 @edrowe0
This myopic approach to mental health must stop
NEWS AND VIEWS News editor Sarah Harrison (maternity leave) Acting news editor Sally Gillen 020 8872 3144 @Sally_Gillen Acting deputy news editor Kat Keogh 020 8872 3146 @katkeogh Reporters Alistair Kleebauer 020 8872 3145 @alistairbauer Katie Osborne 020 8872 3147 @NS_reporter Features editor Thelma Agnew 020 8872 3163 @ThelmaAgnew Reflections editor Clare Lomas 020 8872 3161 @NS_reflections Development editor Frances Pickersgill 020 8872 3164 @NScareersEd
‘No health without mental health’ was a commonly quoted soundbite by former health secretary Andrew Lansley in the early days of the coalition government. Quite right too: for far too long mental health had been neglected while politicians from all parties fretted over the bad press associated with long queues in A&E, difficulties seeing a GP or community hospital closures.
Editor Graham Scott 020 8872 3190 @NSeditor Deputy editors Elaine Cole 020 8872 3109 @prideinnursing Janet Snell 020 8872 3109 @Janet_Snell Assistant editor Roger Evans 020 8872 3187 @RogerEvansE1 Group educational projects manager Laura Downes RGN
PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Head of production Fiona Maclean Senior production editor Julie Hickey Production manager Arnie Beeson Production editors Sarah Howe, Jennifer Oldfield Deputy production editor Justin Stevens Sub editors Yvonne Byron Nour, Joyce McKimm Web editor Amanda Carter Art director Ken McLoone Deputy art director Minesh Parmar Designer Sujata Aurora Picture editor Philip Brecht Deputy picture editor Helen Jones Assistant picture editor Karen Gordon Production assistant Annette Taylor-Anderson Ad production executives Sally Gauntlett, Sue Horn INDICES Nursing Standard is indexed on these databases: British Nursing Index • CINAHL • Ethnic minorities health: A Current Awareness Bulletin • International Nursing Index • MEDLINE • MIDIRS Midwifery Digest • OSH-ROM (HSELINE) • Palliative Care Index • RNdex SUBSCRIPTIONS Personal rates from £76.80 a year. Telephone +44 (0)345 772 6100 Institutional rates from £675 a year. Email [email protected] Visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk for details. ARCHIVE Personal subscribers have access to a range of Art & Science articles as part of their subscription. Institutional users may purchase permanent access to the Nursing Standard archive (1996 -). AUTHOR GUIDELINES These can be downloaded from www.nursing-standard.co.uk ADVERTISEMENTS Classified +44 (0)20 8423 1333 Display and sponsorship +44 (0)20 8872 3123 Nursing Standard is published every Wednesday by RCN Publishing Company Ltd, the publishing company of the Royal College of Nursing. It seeks to promote professional excellence, and encourage creativity and innovation in nursing, midwifery and health visiting practice. Nursing Standard also aims to enhance nurses’ and healthcare assistants’ career development and to help them achieve and maintain a healthy and rewarding working environment. Nursing Standard is editorially independent and the opinions expressed are not those of the RCN or of the contributor’s employing organisation unless specifically stated. Acceptance of an advertisement does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of a product or service, either by the RCN or RCN Publishing.
www.nursing-standard.co.uk Nursing Standard @NurseStandard nursingblog.rcnpublishing
By contrast, those with a mental illness were stigmatised and stereotyped in the media, with attempts to move care into the community being questioned constantly. Such patients received little or no sympathy, especially when there was a high-profile murder or unprovoked attack attributed to someone with schizophrenia or personality disorder.
THIS GULF BETWEEN RHETORIC AND REALITY IS STARK AND UNACCEPTABLE
Sadly the government’s good intentions appear to have fallen by the wayside over the past few years. Figures released at the weekend by the RCN as part of its Frontline First campaign show there has been a drop of more than 3,300 mental health nursing posts and 1,500 beds in England since 2011. To make matters worse, those with the most experience have been the most likely to go, taking with them years of expertise and knowledge that is impossible to replace. The upshot? Early intervention initiatives have been axed as the focus inevitably shifts to the most serious cases. As a consequence, treatment is delayed, so more people have ended up needing inpatient care and increasing numbers have been sectioned. There has been a rise in detentions under the Mental Health Act of 13 per cent between 2009/10 and 2012/13. This gulf between rhetoric and reality is stark and unacceptable, whatever the financial constraints facing the NHS. As RCN general secretary (and mental health nurse) Peter Carter puts it: ‘We are running the serious risk of turning back the clock and undoing all the good work that has gone before. The sterling work of the nurses and doctors who helped turn this around is in danger of being undone through short-sighted responses to cost pressures.’ See news page 12 Air your views on
Nursing Standard and
@NurseStandard
Have your say by joining our weekly Twitter debate. Every Thursday from 12.30 to 1.30 use #NScomment and share your views with other nurses on a hot topic of the day
:: vol 29without no 13 permission. :: 2014 3 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Oct 03, 2015. For personal november use only. No26 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
