College responds to NHS Future Forum report

Embargoed until 13 June 2011

Responding to the report published today by the NHS Future Forum Dr Laurence Mynors-Wallis, Registrar of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:

"The Royal College of Psychiatrists was glad to have been involved in the listening exercise and was pleased to allow our members and clinicians across the mental health sector the chance to respond to the NHS Future Forum.

"It is particularly positive that the Future Forum has taken on board the view of many clinicians from different specialties, that there must be a multi-professional arrangement with regards to commissioning. It is critical that equal attention is given to the involvement of mental as well as physical health professionals, as central to the government’s own mental health strategy.

"Ultimately, we welcome the Future Forum’s recognition of the importance of mental health in the commissioning process. However, this will need to be reflected in practice at the local level.  

"The proposals around additional safeguards to avoid private provider cherrypicking is also important. We are also pleased to see the recommendations that Monitor's role on competition should be significantly diluted. However, unlike the Future Forum’s report, we still have concerns that the ‘any qualified provider’ model - if not properly implemented - could result in a disjointed service.

"We also welcome the Forum’s proposal to amend the current Bill to emphasise that the Secretary of State remain ultimately accountable for the National Health Service, along with the decision to have a more flexible timetable in relation to establishing commissioning consortia.

"We hope that the government will take on board many of the proposals that have come out of the listening exercise and allow real improvements to be made in the future care of patients both in mental health and across the health service."

References:

The full report of the NHS Future Forum is available at: www.dh.gov.uk/nhsfutureforum