BPS response to withdrawal of funding for NHS Practitioner Health
The further removal of funding for NHS Practitioner Health is a deeply concerning step backwards.
12 April 2024
The British Psychological Society has responded to the news that NHS England has withdrawn funding for the mental health support provided by NHS Practitioner Health to secondary care staff.
Dr Roman Raczka, president-elect of the British Psychological Society, said:
"At a time when mental health support for NHS staff is needed now more than ever, the further removal of funding for a service providing vital help for staff is a deeply concerning step backwards.
"With many NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs already closed or facing closure due to the lack of ringfenced government funding, this decision will leave even more staff struggling with their mental health high and dry.
"The removal of national ringfenced funding for the hubs has already created a postcode lottery for staff needing to access mental health support, and this decision will only exacerbate this issue, potentially leaving swathes of secondary care staff unable to access help from NHS Practitioner Health or their local hub.
"The extension of funding for NHS Practitioners support for primary care doctors is welcome, but the NHS cannot afford to lose this important support for secondary care doctors.
"We await further information as to the scope of a review into staff mental health support, however the cessation of funding while the review is underway will leave even more staff struggling to access the timely mental health support they need."