Planning for Prevention

Levels of poor mental health are unacceptably high and have been rising since 2000.i PLANNING FOR PREVENTION: UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF INTEGRATED CARE SYSTEMS TO CREATE A MENTALLY HEALTHY SOCIETY There is strong evidence that preventative mental health work leads to social and economic benefits across society. [...] We also had a particular focus on the four population groups at heightened risk of poor mental health that are current strategic priorities for the Foundation: children and young people at risk of developing mental health problems, vulnerable families, asylum seekers and refugees, and people with long-term conditions. PLANNING FOR PREVENTION: UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF INTEGRATED CARE SYSTEM [...] The nature and extent of public mental health activity is variable, and it was rare for their Joint Forward Plans to set out explicit actions on prevention and early intervention. [...] We also set out in the report how England lacks a public mental health infrastructure: there is no real plan from central government that sets out what the expectations are from all parts of the system, national and local, and provides the funding, leadership and knowledge- sharing to allow this to happen. [...] To achieve a sustained shift towards prevention work, we recommend the following: ICSs should develop rigorous plans on public mental health These should explicitly talk about public mental health and make this central to their strategic approach and mental health-related practice. [...] They should be informed by and responsive to community needs, especially for those most at risk of poor mental health. [...] PLANNING FOR PREVENTION: UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF INTEGRATED CARE SYSTEMS TO CREATE A MENTALLY HEALTHY SOCIETY6 ICSs need a stronger focus on minoritised communities They should develop clear plans to improve the mental health of all the minoritised communities in their areas, including the inclusion health groups. Central government must create a new public mental health infrastructure Th [...] The government should introduce a full national needs assessment of the implementation gap in public mental health, and ensure funding is in place to deliver the work needed to address this. Part of this will involve the restoration of the public health grant to at least the 2015 level. [...] PLANNING FOR PREVENTION: UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF INTEGRATED CARE SYSTEMS TO CREATE A MENTALLY HEALTHY SOCIETY7 An increased focus on children and young people Half of all mental health problems have been established by the age of 14, rising to 75 per cent by age 24. [...] A national cross-departmental inequalities strategy The government should develop a cross-departmental strategy to reduce health inequalities, focusing on reducing inequalities in the population that cause people to become unwell in the first place, and preventing the range of inequalities that can arise from having a mental health problem.