When asked in Parliament, with reference to the Mental Health Report, how the Government addresses the management of Lithium - and has it conducted a Lithium audit yet?, the Government said it takes issues of Mental Health very seriously, and are committed to constantly reviewing and improving the services as a community in this respect. 

The point of having established a Mental Health Board is to provide the Mental Health Service with a transparent audit, and so their observations are not seen as criticisms, but rather as most welcome recommendations as to service improvements from the service users’ perspective.

The Mental Health Service has seen a number of improvements and developments since the date of the last report, these range from;

• An increase to clinical and administrative staff;

• An increase in clinical equipment;

• The introduction of a 24-hour A&E liaison and support service;

• The introduction of a 24-hour e-mail service managed by senior nursing staff;

• An increase in Community Mental Health Team telephone and face-to-face contact when necessary;

• The introduction of ward-based digital devices to facilitate patients’ ability to communicate with friends and family;

• And the introduction of a practice development post to co-ordinate all staff training needs.

In addition, they are currently in the process of sourcing a new mini-bus for patient transport with wheelchair access.

MENTAL HEALTH AUDIT

The audit precedes me as Minister for Health and therefore it is necessary for me to consult further on this matter, said the current minister. It appears that the Mental Health audit, as presented by Public Health England, alludes to points that require further clarification.

For example, the audit makes the statement that, “no formal mental health budget could be identified.” This is not the case.

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06-07-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR