Friday, July 24, 2009

New Horizons

The U.K. Government has launched its New Horizons consultation paper on the way forward for mental-health services in the U.K. over the next 10 years. The strategy's aims and objectives are that, in ten years time

  • Most adults will understand the importance of good mental health and the steps they can take to look after themselves
  • Children will be taught about mental well-being in school
  • Lifestyle services and psychological treatments will be widely available
  • Innovative technologies will be used to promote independence and effective treatment
  • People with mental health problems will receive individual care packages and will be able to make decisions about their treatment and recovery plan, as well as monitoring their own condition
  • Public services will recognise the importance of services and amenities that maximise the independence of older people
  • Inequalities for black and minority ethnic groups, in terms of access to and experience of mental health care, will have disappeared
  • The stigma associated with mental health will have declined.
  • People will know more about mental health problems and understand that they can happen to anyone
  • Everyone will have access to high quality care
  • People with mental illness will no longer be at greater risk of health problems such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes
  • The association between poverty and mental/physical health will be better understood and addressed.

You can download a copy of the New Horizons report at

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_103144

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