The UK government is now launching a 10-year health plan. A program to improve care for millions of people through the transformation from centralized treatment in hospitals to community treatment centers. They also plan to shift focus from treatment to prevention to reduce demand for services and rebuild the NHS workforce by training more medical staff and leveraging new technologies.
One of the flagship elements of the program is the introduction of the Neighborhood Health Center (NHCS). A local community hub with multidisciplinary services, including GP, emergency care and rehabilitation, is all under one roof. The purpose is not only to increase access to services in a community environment, but also to reduce the silos that many people experience in the current system.
But how does the new program affect mental health services in the UK?
Bad mental health is increasing in the UK
Recently published in the 26th survey on the incidence of psychiatric disorders in adultsTh In June, the prevalence of mental health was found to be increasing. Young people (ages 16 to 24) who suffer from common mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety increased from 17.5% in 2007 to 25.8% in 2023/24.
Among the elderly (16-64 years old), the prevalence rate rose from 18.9% in 2014 to 22.6%. Women have higher prevalence in both age groups.
But what drives this growth? Will these drivers be addressed by a 10-year health plan?
Although there are no causes of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, mental illness, or eating disorders, certain risk factors increase a person’s chances of developing a disease.
Socio-economic inequality
Inequality is an important driving force for poor mental health. Continuous concerns about money, unsafe housing or living in poverty, so a person is more likely to suffer from depression or other common mental health conditions.
The MQ’s cost of living report found that people classified as poor in poverty are more than twice as likely to have mental health problems than those with average income.
The Mental Health Foundation’s “Ambition Poverty” report published last week found that people living in greater poverty than 30 years ago. They also found that the number of people in poverty increased by nearly two-thirds to 3.8 million in 2022.
It should also be noted that in addition to causing mental illness and distress, poverty can also be a result of mental health problems, as it may make it more difficult to find or maintain a job, maintain relationships, or manage money effectively.
So, how does a decade-long health plan address this important mental health driver?
“There is evidence that people working in working class, from minority backgrounds, live in rural or coastal areas or deindustrialized inner cities, who have experienced domestic violence or homelessness are more likely to experience worse NHS, worse outcomes, younger outcomes and younger outcomes. Or where they come from, means of interacting with the NHS on their own terms.” – 10-year plan.
While the plan itself acknowledges that social inequality does have a significant impact on health outcomes, it does not specifically address the underlying causes of these inequality. Instead, it is committed to addressing the concerns of the most vulnerable people by increasing access to community care and NHC.
Although this is a commendable goal, this 10-year health plan does not exist in isolation and is affected by other policies. The government’s universal credit and individual independent payments bill, often referred to as the welfare reform bill passed last week, could undermine the program’s efforts based on the government’s own assessment.
Connection with health
Physical health conditions, especially those who restrict physical activity, are more likely to suffer from mental health conditions. The opposite is true, because people with severe mental illnesses on average are up to 10 years ahead of the general population.
Conditions that limit mobility or affect a person’s daily activities increase the risk of developing a mental health condition. So, how can a health plan keep people healthy?
The program does focus on preventing disease rather than treating it. This includes providing programs that provide more localized care, digital services to enable people to access services faster and work across departments to make people healthier.
The plan to introduce Neighborhood Health Center (NHC) is to create a “one-stop shop” for the community and reduce silos in healthcare. Additionally, the program hopes to keep patients active in their own care by ensuring that 95% of people with complex needs develop an agreed care plan by 2027. Interestingly, the plan does not mention some measures that have been drafted into the upcoming mental health bill, such as regulatory care plans introduced for segmented individuals.
The government has ambitious plans to work with the private sector to help make people healthier. They want to calculate the deal for new drugs for new drugs, such as weight loss injections, based on “impact on health outcomes.”
In addition, they hope to create a new genomic population health service. This will include mapping the genomes of 150,000 adults this year and evaluating how genomics can be used in routine preventive care. Additionally, “Generation Research” is a new initiative to test universal neonatal genome tests to identify individuals at high risk for common diseases. The goal is to provide early intervention and support before symptoms develop.
Trauma and adverse childhood experiences
There is a strong correlation between ace and a series of major mental health outcomes that followed. MQ researchers have demonstrated the link between child bullying and later mental health problems, while other events such as parental death, abuse, or childhood poverty can have lifelong impacts.
Trauma events, chronic stress and discrimination may contribute to the development of serious illnesses including PTSD in people of all ages.
The Adult Psychiatric Incidence Survey found that the number of adults reported to have experienced trauma increased from 31.4% in 2014 to 34.8% in 2023/24. (Remember this is a highly traumatic moment for many people after the pandemic. Ten years ago, 5.7% of 4.4% in 2023/24.
So, how does a 10-year health program address ACE prevention and support provided to victims and other trauma survivors to prevent them from developing PTSD?
The 10-year health program recognizes that early intervention is critical in the mental health of young people. The plan reaffirms the government has announced that it aims to expand the mental health support teams in schools and universities and to provide more support for the mental health of children and young people through a young futures hub.
This has the potential to work for children and young people who have been identified through generation studies as at risk for genetic mental health conditions.
However, no other program can provide comprehensive victim support or increase opportunities for talk-oriented therapies or other interventions, which can help prevent the development of PTSD and other trauma-based diseases.
