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Mental Health: Making the Forward Plans a Reality

27th September 2017

8:30 am - 4:45 pm

America Square Conference Centre, No.1, America Square, 17 Crosswall, London, EC3N 2LB. United Kingdom.

“The infrastructure needed to sustain change has been put in place, and, in many areas, people who use services are beginning to feel the benefits if the new and expanded services on offer. One year on, there is clear momentum behind this programme… the challenge now is to maintain and build on this.”

Five Year Forward View For Mental Health: One Year On, February 2017

Book tickets here

The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health sets out the unarguable agenda for the reform of mental health care. The strategy aims to increase the quality and availability of care and treatment, improve outcomes and well being, and tackle the wider costs of mental ill health to health services and society. Now more than one year on from publication, it is time to deliver the actions required that will make the strategy a reality. Early action and a collective focus will benefit not just people who use services, their families and communities, but benefit the NHS itself and drive a more equal, balanced and sustainable health and care system.

Mental health problems represent the largest single cause of disability in the UK and are estimated to cost the economy £105 billion a year – roughly the cost of the entire NHS. Although there are challenges and competing pressures faced by the NHS and its key partners, there are also opportunities to invest in mental health and deliver a more sustainable health and care system. The target of one million more people receiving the care they need by 2020/21 is well underway with at least 120,000 more people receiving mental health services in the first year of the strategy. Improved access to care is about people seeing and feeling the benefits of change, a maintained focus on delivery, commitment and collaboration will ensure more and more people receive the care when and where they need.

Our conference agenda will share personal experiences of mental health users, provide an invaluable update on the roadmap to improved mental health care, and highlight real examples of service transformation and new approaches to care. Mental Health: Making the Forward Plans a Reality will help delegates deliver transformation in health and care services and ensure that the new opportunities to benefit people with mental health needs are leveraged to their maximum.