The NIHS has proposed a wider roll out of the ‘liaison psychiatry’ scheme, which would see more psychiatrists working across hospital wards. A small scale introduction has seen some success in reducing re-admissions. The Guardian, which ran a similar story, has pointed out that despite these incremental changes not one of the 17 NHS board members has a background in mental health and in 2014, England spent just 1.4% of its public health budgets on preventing mental health problems.
So what is the future? Clearly there are economic and implementational obstacles to overcome, but these are not insurmountable. It is worth trying, even if that means some measure of failure, as this system as it stands is not working. Parity of esteem is not merely some charter in the evolution of human rights. It is vital in the effective treatment and future health of our citizens.