FUTURE MEETINGS 2021
Sir Norman Lamb will talk about the impact of Parity of Esteem on the NHS and, in particular, on mental health care. We are particularly interested in way that Parity of Esteem has improved the care of patients detained on s135/136 of the MHA. Sir Norman championed the introduction of Parity of Esteem.
We often hear stories of patients waiting in Police cars and Ambulances for very long periods outside mental health ‘Places of Safety’ (s136 suites in Hospitals). We are concerned that patients who are severely ill should not be detained in vehicles; they should be receiving care inside Hospital.
Sir Norman will discuss how SLAM is showing regard to the needs of these patients in relation to the duty of Parity of Esteem. He will also talk about the needs of patients infected with Covid in the Maudsley Hospital, and how the Trust is responding to the Pandemic now - and their plans for the future.
Parity of Esteem was included in the Government’s 2011 Mental Health Strategy document ‘No Health Without Mental Health’, which made it clear that “we expect there to be parity of esteem between mental and physical health services”. The first clause in the Health and Social Care Act (2012) was altered during the Report Stage in the House of Lords to include explicit reference to mental health. This led to a commitment in the NHS Constitution that states that the NHS is “designed to diagnose, treat and improve both physical and mental health.”
The NHS Mandate for 2014/15 states unambiguously “NHS England’s objective is to put mental health on a par with physical health”.
We often hear stories of patients waiting in Police cars and Ambulances for very long periods outside mental health ‘Places of Safety’ (s136 suites in Hospitals). We are concerned that patients who are severely ill should not be detained in vehicles; they should be receiving care inside Hospital.
Sir Norman will discuss how SLAM is showing regard to the needs of these patients in relation to the duty of Parity of Esteem. He will also talk about the needs of patients infected with Covid in the Maudsley Hospital, and how the Trust is responding to the Pandemic now - and their plans for the future.
Parity of Esteem was included in the Government’s 2011 Mental Health Strategy document ‘No Health Without Mental Health’, which made it clear that “we expect there to be parity of esteem between mental and physical health services”. The first clause in the Health and Social Care Act (2012) was altered during the Report Stage in the House of Lords to include explicit reference to mental health. This led to a commitment in the NHS Constitution that states that the NHS is “designed to diagnose, treat and improve both physical and mental health.”
The NHS Mandate for 2014/15 states unambiguously “NHS England’s objective is to put mental health on a par with physical health”.
- No Health Without Mental Health, DH, 2011
- Lords Library Note, LLN 2013/024.
- NHS Constitution: the NHS belongs to us all, NHS, 2013
- NHS Mandate 2014-15, NHS 2014 6 Malzberg B, Mental Hygiene. 16, 465
