GOVERNMENT MUST INVEST IN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IF TRUST IS TO WORK

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 20th Sep 2004

Following the announcement that the government has agreed to the creation of a new Surrey wide Mental Health and Learning Disability Trust from April 2005 Sue Doughty said:

"Without adequate staffing to meet the needs of people who use Mental Health services, this reorganisation will achieve no more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The Health Secretary has already confirmed to me that mental health is being left out of hospital improvements due to the shortage of psychologists and psychiatrists. My constituents are being made to wait too long for the care that they need already.

If this reorganisation is to work it is vital that proper resources are provided not only for acute care, but for the other functions such as drop in centres which are badly needed by people, and which have been allowed to die off."