DCP Comments On New Horizons - British Psychological Society

Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 27 Jul 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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The British Psychological Society has welcomed the publication, of New Horizons, the government's new plan for the development of mental health services.

Dr John Hanna, director of the Policy Unit of the Society's Division of Clinical Psychology says:

"New Horizons promises to be the National Service Framework (NSF) - the next 10-year plan for mental health.

"We welcome in particular its vision of fostering well-being rather than just treating mental ill health. We also welcome the use it makes of health economics and the developing evidence base about which treatments for mental health problems are most effective.

"That evidence base shows that applied psychology has reached a position of parity with medicine, although that is not yet reflected in service delivery. We therefore disagree with the implication that the NSF has been fully implemented, particularly the NSF Standard 1 of preserving and enhancing mental will-being as well as preventing and detecting emergent psychological distress.

"Nevertheless, we look forward to tangible policy proposals that, alongside effective commissioning and investment, will make New Horizon's vision a reality."

Clinical psychologists, working mainly in the National Health Service, use the results of psychological research to help people with mental and physical health problems. For more about clinical psychology visit http://www.bps.org.uk/clinicalpsychologists.

Source
British Psychological Society

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