NHS Improving Mental Health Services

Following the National Audit Office (NAO) report that we shared and commented on 13th February 2023, the Government are now conducting an Inquiry on mental health services and the progress that they've made against their own Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, and the NHS Long Term Plan.

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7315/progress-improving-mental-health-services/

Meg Moss, Head of Policy & Public Affairs, notes that "this Inquiry is well-received by the Society, as it will allow us to present - yet again - the case that we have been putting to the NHS and Department for Health and Social Care for a great number of years now, which is this: there is a workforce of upwards of 60,000 qualified and experienced counsellors and psychotherapists on Accredited Registers in the UK. They have completed a significant amount of training and are held to the high standards of their respective professional bodies, all of which are overseen by the Professional Standards Authority. Why are the NHS not calling upon these highly trained professionals? The NHS are open about their lack of ability to recruit people into mental health roles for a variety of reasons, and this, alongside the overwhelming number of people desperate for support with their mental health, means that it's vital that they seriously consider how to incorporate Accredited Registers into their workforce more efficiently and effectively, and how to do it urgently."

The Society will be making a submission to this Inquiry, and we're hopeful that our Registrants, and those throughout the counselling and psychotherapy world on other Accredited Registers, will get the recognition they deserve within the NHS.