Making mental health part of the solution for reducing the negative impact of austerity – a perspective from England

Abstract

This paper will describe four initiatives in England to protect the mental health of the population.

1. Lobbying government – presenting the evidence about how mental health services can reduce the impact of austerity on families and communities.

2. Building psychosocial resilience in schools through well being programmes and through “enabling environments” in the workplace.

3. Delivering sustainability in mental and physical healthcare:

– prevention – don’t get ill in the first place;

– patient empowerment – if unwell patient to self manage where possible;

– lean service design – if healthcare services necessary, these should be efficient and high value;

– low carbon – reducing carbon footprint and waste.

4. Working across medicine – choosing wisely:

– promoting conversations between doctors and patients to choose care that is:

– supported by evidence,

– not duplicative of other tests of procedures already received,

– free from harm,

– truly necessary.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.