The Impact of Austerity on Mental Health Service Provision: A UK Perspective

Abstract

This is a discussion paper which examines the impact of austerity policies on the provision of mental health services in the United Kingdom. Austerity is a shorthand for a series of policies introduced by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition government in the UK from 2010 onwards. In response to the fiscal crisis following the bail out of the banks in 2008, it was argued that significant reductions in public spending were required. The background to these policies is examined before a consideration of their impact on mental health services. These policies had a disproportionate impact on people living in poverty. People with health problems including mental problems are overrepresented in this group. At the same time, welfare and community services are under increasing financial pressures having to respond to increased demand within a context of reduced budgets. There is increasing recognition of the role that social factors and adverse childhood experiences have in the development and trajectory of mental health problems. Mental health social workers, alongside other professionals, seek to explain mental distress by the use of some variant of a biopsychosocial model. The extent of mental health problems as a one of their measures of the impact of inequality. More unequal societies create greater levels of distress. There is a social gradient in the extent of mental health problems—the impact of severe mental illness means that many individuals are unable to work or, if they can return to work, they find it difficult to gain employment because of discrimination. The paper concludes that austerity and associated policies have combined to increase the overall burden of mental distress and marginalisation within the UK.

Materialities in supported housing for people with mental health problems: a blurry picture of the tenants

“…Other features, such as the gravel in the garden or the faux‐wooden flooring or other robust materials were used to keep maintenance costs low, consequently signalling that these residences were supported housing. Thus, important aspects behind such narrowing materialities of supported housing might be linked to general cost minimisation and recent austerity policies implemented in community mental health services (Cummins 2018, Pedersen and Kolstad 2009).…”

Understanding and improving the experience of claiming social security for mental health problems in the west of Scotland: A participatory social welfare study

“…Since 2008, successive UK governments have implemented a programme of austerity which has disproportionately affected those on low incomes, for example, people claiming benefits for a mental health problem (McGrath, Griffin, & Mundy, 2015). After welfare reform, the most substantial losses in funding are apparent in the most disadvantaged communities of the UK (Cummins, 2018). An increase in poverty has been particularly noticeable amongst communities situated in former industrial areas such as Scotland (Beatty, Fothergill, & Houston, 2013).…”

Assessing and Improving the Quality in Mental Health Services

“…Poor and underdeveloped countries may have other priorities, such as simply providing food and shelter/asylum for patients with reduced functionality due to mental disorders. Although even providing housing for the homeless with severe mental disorders is not sometimes a simple process, it is still a challenge even for the modern welfare state and the developed mental health services of wealthy European countries [71]. However, investing in mental health, regardless of the country's GDP, has been described as having an excellent value-for-money relationship [72] and as a 'best buy' investment.…”