Care and support reform - Mind's response

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Executive Summary

Social care services provided to people with mental health problems by local authorities are not always good enough. There is not enough money in the system to provide a quality service. People who need support to live independently do not always get it, because social services say their needs are not high enough. Those who do get services find that they are not flexible. Traditional services can hold people back. Personalisation is shown to improve outcomes, but too few people with mental health problems receive direct payments and individual budgets.

Mind believes that there are a number of particular issues for people with mental health problems which need to be taken into account in decisions about the reform of the social care funding system.

Mind has consulted extensively through its networks of people with direct experience of mental distress and the views of respondents inform this consultation response. All quotes in this document are direct quotes from people with experience of mental distress who have participated in this piece of research.

Published December 2008