Category Archives: Depression

Patients and carers will get more help

Thousands of patients with long-term conditions and dementia could benefit as GP contract proposals are unveiled

March 18, 2013

Thousands more patients will soon feel the benefits of better care at their GP surgery as an ambitious vision to improve the lives of people with long term conditions and people with dementia becomes a reality.

From April, changes to the GP contract, which have been announced today, will see millions of pounds redirected into better care for patients.

Money that was once given to doctors for performing routine office functions like record keeping will now be used to reward steps which directly support and benefit patients. This includes better control of blood pressure and cholesterol, to prevent heart attacks and stroke, and assessing patients at risk from dementia.

In total, £164 million will be pulled away from bureaucratic box ticking exercises and into better care.

Why is the NHS 'biased' towards mental health patients?

Paul Burstow: NHS is ‘biased’ against treating mental health

The NHS is “biased” against treating patients with depression and other mental health problems, wasting billions of pounds a year as their conditions grow worse, a former minister is warning.

 

By , Political Correspondent

6:00AM GMT 14 Mar 2013

Paul Burstow said families were paying the price as government figures showed spending on mental health services fell by 1 per cent last year.

Patients are suffering a “postcode lottery” in services across the country, with some areas spending three times more than others on therapies and treatment, he said.

The Lib Dem MP, who was the Care Minister until September’s reshuffle, is to lead a new Commission on mental health, backed by the think-tank CentreForum, which is launched today.

Writing for telegraph.co.uk, Mr Burstow said: “The NHS default remains stubbornly biased towards physical health – a terrible false economy at the expense of people’s lives, as well as the public purse.

Please remember mothers and carers struggling against poverty on this day

Bishop issues Mothering Sunday message

5:24pm Friday 8th March 2013 in News

THE Bishop of Dudley, the Rt Revd David Walker, is asking people to remember mothers who are struggling to make ends meet this year – 100 years after the campaign to re-establish Mothering Sunday was launched.

Rt Rev Walker said: “I’m not feeling very sentimental about motherhood this year, at a time when more and more mothers are needing to turn to church run Food Banks to see their children are adequately fed.