Public mental health spending is 'negligible', reveals charity

Mental health charity Mind has revealed that local authorities in England are spending just one per cent of their public health budget on mental health.

Research suggests that while local authorities spend millions on physical health programmes, most areas of the UK spend less on preventing mental health problems.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in any given year, which costs health and social care services an estimated £21 billion annually.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said: “It is not acceptable that such a small amount of the public health purse goes on preventing mental health problems.

“One in four people will experience a mental health problem every year, yet so much of this could be prevented by targeted programmes aimed at groups we know to be at risk, such as people who are isolated or those living with a long term physical health problem.

“Having a mental health problem can impact on all aspects of our lives, from our relationships and work to our physical health. The personal costs are immeasurable, and the wider economic cost is huge. Prevention is always better than cure and ignoring the problem simply doesn’t make sense.

“We need local authorities to use their budgets to help people in their communities stay mentally healthy and reduce the chances of them becoming unwell.”

Mind obtained valid data from 131 of the 152 local authorities which revealed that the average expenditure on mental health was just one per cent (£40 million) of the total public health budget, which was set at £3.3 billion at the beginning of the year.

The charity also found that £664 million has so far been invested on measures relating to sexual health, £160 million on stop smoking measures, £111 million on tackling obesity and £96 million on promoting physical activity.

Local authorities have a remit to promote good physical and mental health in the communities they serve. They are required by the Department of Health to report on their public health spending against a set list of categories including sexual health services, obesity and stop smoking services.

Currently, any spending on public mental health is reported under ‘Miscellaneous’ along with 14 other categories. However, Mind has suggested that this undermines the Government’s commitment to give mental health equality with physical health.

In response, Mind is urging the Government to send a clear message to public health teams to prioritise mental health. Mr Farmer added: “Our research shows that the current spend on public mental health initiatives is negligible.

“The fact that local authorities’ public health teams are allowed to file mental health under ‘Miscellaneous’ when reporting on it perhaps explains why.

“It sends a message that mental health is not seen as important and is not a priority for investment.”

Mind has produced a 'best practice' guide outlining the initiatives local authorities could commission to help people in their communities stay mentally healthy and to reduce the chances of them becoming unwell.

The new guide to commissioning better public mental health can be accessed at: /media/2976113/mind_public-mental-health-guide_web-version.pdf.