Mental health and the productivity challenge

Our research demonstrates that there is scope to improve productivity in mental health care, and that there are also significant opportunities for mental health services to support productivity improvements in other areas of the NHS and in public spending more widely.

Of the areas highlighted in the report, we consider that the following are the most promising targets for immediate attention:

• reducing unnecessary bed use in acute and secure psychiatric wards, for example by strengthening community teams that help to avoid admission and facilitate discharge
• establishing systems to review the use of highly expensive out-of-area treatments
• improving workforce productivity
• strengthening the interface between mental and physical health care, particularly for older people and people with long-term conditions.

Many case studies and practical examples are included in the report to illustrate the opportunities that exist to achieve more within existing budgets, and there are recommendations for action at all levels.

Mental health services can help to meet the financial challenge facing the NHS, but they cannot do this if they are targeted disproportionately for spending reductions or if short-term expediencies lead to the so-called 'salami-slicing' of high-value, well-performing services.

By realising the opportunities highlighted in this report, mental health commissioners and providers will be better placed to build on the work of recent years, and to meet the financial challenge by improving rather than sacrificing quality of care.