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Government
bids to give people with mental health problems more treatment choice
November
10, 2006
People with mental health problems are being promised more choice
over their treatment.
The
Department of Health has launched a strategy to provide more local
mental health service choice in England. It is in line with the
government's agenda to enable more "choice" in health
services generally.
The strategy, in the form of a new "national framework",
includes advice to professionals on how they can extend mental health
service choices, as well as advice to service users and carers on
the kind of choices they should expect.
But
a Rethink charity spokeswoman questioned whether the ideas of the
national framework will ever be brought to practice.
"Cuts
to mental health budgets have reduced people's choices, and the
very basics of what should be available according to Nice [National
Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence] guidelines aren't
available in many areas," she said.
"A principle of choice is good news, but we need reality."
Read for
yourself:
Our Choices in Mental Health
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