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News
David Woods, 17 Jun 2011
New research from Aviva UK Health reveals that better support services and a change in patient attitude are essential if the provision of care for mental health patients is to be improved.
Aviva's 2011 Health of the Nation research reveals that while the quality of care for patients with physical conditions such as cancer and heart disease is felt to have improved in recent years, nearly three in five (58%) GPs feel that the quality of care provided by the NHS for mental health issues is poor.
This demonstrates that a focused approach from the Government on healthcare issues can pay dividends. With nearly half (45%) of GPs saying that stress and mental health conditions will be the biggest health issues that they'll treat in 2011, now's the time for the spotlight to be turned to mental health.
Nearly two out of five GPs (38%) feel that mental health is a social issue rather than medical. The same amount say they find it hard to treat patients with mental health conditions as they can't treat the root cause of the problem. It's therefore not surprising that over half (55%) of GPs feel that they need more support from employers to help prevent workplace stress.
Doug Wright, head of clinical development at Aviva UK Health, said: "Our research re-emphasises that there are two issues to overcome to help improve the quality of care available to patients with mental health conditions.
Firstly, there's a need for increased investment into mental health support services. The condition is complex and GPs need to be able to tailor their support to suit their patient's exact needs.
"There's also a need for improved education about mental health issues - in terms of prevention, recognition of symptoms and acceptance of the illness. Employers have a key role to play in this process. It's important that line managers receive the appropriate training to help them recognise the signs of stress and put their employees in touch with the right support services at the right time. People need to be confident that they can talk about mental health without embarrassment or fear.
"It's reassuring to see that the Government's current mental health strategy recognises these issues and is focusing on the areas GPs feel will best improve patient care." Aviva's bi-annual Health of the Nation study canvassed the views of over 200 GPs on issues relating to their working practice and patient care.
2 comments on this article |
Peter Marno 17 Jun 2011
Mental ill-health is the 'elephant in the room' for many employers mainly because they, as part of society, deny that individuals are more likely to need help for a mental ill-health condition than any other medical condition. Further, employees are distrustful that they will be treated fairly if they admit to a mental problem. The best employers are inclusive and can expect to see as good a return on their employee investment from people with mental ill-health problems as from those without a positive diagnosis. The key to being successful in this area is to have good policies and access to the most appropriate health management tools. Right now employers cannot rely on the NHS to work quickly to return or keep an individual in work and will benefit from making their own arrangements to prevent mental ill-health as well as identifying, as quickly as possible, when an issue is beginning to become a problem.
Lynn 20 Jun 2011
Hi David, another good argument for my Fit Note Integrated Pathway to Employment Support, which we are piloting in East Kent at the moment. One GP practice so far, another in discussions next month. We have a three month pilot, first month nearly under our belt. I am to find out next Monday how that first month has been, for the GP surgery in engaging and making referrals to an Employment Support Provider. I am sure there will be a lot of suggestions and changes, but that will be good, as it will be coming directly from them on how to make it work. Will let you know how we get on if you wish? Lynn
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