Another thirteen trial schemes are to launch in April 2015 to place mental health professionals in police stations and courts.  These schemes aim to ensure people who come into the criminal justice system with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and other vulnerabilities are recognised and are promptly referred into health and other services to get […]

Dementia is a clinical syndrome and at one level simply implies brain failure (analogous to heart failure or liver failure). The diagnosis is a two stage process. First, to make a diagnosis of dementia you need to differentiate it from: depression; delirium; the effect of drugs and; the changes in memory expected as part of […]

NHS England has welcomed better portrayals of mental health in prime time TV storylines after a report showed the subject being covered more authentically and more often. The report ‘Making a drama out of a crisis’ was launched by Time to Change, the anti-stigma campaign run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. It comes as Coronation Street’s […]

Seven new ‘ambassadors’ are to begin spreading the word about the importance of diagnosing more patients with dementia in a bid to help improve patients’ and their carers’ quality of life. The seven, who are based in London, the south, the north, the midlands, and Scotland, will be helping local GPs in England to use […]

NHS England has welcomed the announcement that easy to access ratings for mental health hospitals will be published on MyNHS from today. Dr Geraldine Strathdee, NHS England National Clinical Director for Mental Health, said it was “excellent news the public would now be able to see key information on their local service in a central […]

The NHS in England is to invest a further £120million over the next two years on improving mental health services. The investment and the new standards for mental health services have been announced today by NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as part of a five-year ambition that will […]

NHS England is committed to pushing up dementia diagnosis rates, Chief Executive Simon Stevens has told the Alzheimer’s Society Conference today. The pledge comes as NHS England publishes a new Dementia Toolkit aimed at helping GPs make more timely diagnosis of the crippling condition and, importantly, what they can do in terms of vital post-diagnostic support. […]

NHS England’s Clinical Director for Mental Health, Geraldine Strathdee has welcomed the launch of a new mental health resource which describes what personalised, coordinated care and support looks like. Mental health services should consider “who I am, what’s important to me, how I wish to be supported and how people behave with me” – according […]

NHS England is taking urgent action to improve access to specialised inpatient mental health services for children and young people after publishing a “frank and honest” report on current provision. For England as a whole, the report says “it is impossible to conclude definitively whether the current level of bed provision is sufficient to meet […]

The launch of the new Mental Health Dementia and Neurology Intelligence Networks (MHDNIN) represents a “revolution in information”. That is the view of Dr Geraldine Strathdee, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Mental Health, who said: “I am absolutely delighted to be part of this launch which marks the culmination of many months of partnership […]