Commenting on the Centre for Economic Research Report 'How Mental Health Loses Out in the NHS', Professor Clare Gerada, Chair of the RCGP, said:

"We live in a stressful society and the number of patients with mental health problems presenting to GPs is on an upward spiral. GPs face tremendous challenges in caring for patients with mental health problems in primary care and we welcome any development which will help us improve their care.
"Talking therapies have the potential to transform thousands of patients' lives and we applaud Lord Layard and his team for their efforts to extend the programme further. This would be a major step forward, not only for patients, but for GPs and other health professionals working in mental health.
"GPs must have access to a range of talking therapies, from counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy to longer term psychotherapies, for the wide range of conditions that we see in our consulting rooms."

Professor Sir Neil Douglas, Chairman of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said

"The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges welcomes this report and recognises the importance of investment in mental health services and contribution made by psychiatrists to improving health care"

British Medical Association said:

"The BMA is pleased that the Mental Health Policy Group is highlighting the problems many with mental health problems face in getting access to the help they need.  The BMA is also concerned about the poor physical health and early death of many with serious mental health problems, and views this as a major inequity that must be addressed.  We will be undertaking more work on this area in our next session and today's report is an excellent starting point for that work."

Members

Professor Lord Richard Layard, (Chair), Director, Well-Being Programe, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE

Professor Sube Banerjee, Professor of Mental Health and Ageing, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Clinical Director MHOA, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Head, Centre for Innovation and Evaluation in Mental Health

Stuart Bell, Chief Executive, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust

Professor David Clark, Professor of Psychology, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford

Professor Stephen Field, General Practitioner, Bellevue Medical Centre, Birmingham, Chair, NHS Future Forum & Chair National Inclusion Health Board; former chairman of Royal College of General Practitioners

Professor Martin Knapp, Professor of Social Policy, Director of the Personal Social Services Research Unit and Director of the NIHR School for Social Care Research, LSE; Professor of Health Economics and Director of the Centre for the Economics of Mental Health at King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry

Baroness Molly Meacher, Chair, City and East London NHS Mental Health Trust

Christopher Naylor, Fellow, Health Policy, The King's Fund

Michael Parsonage, Chief Economist, Centre for Mental Health

Professor Stephen Scott, Professor of Child Health and Behaviour, King's College London; Director, National Academy for Parenting Research

Professor John Strang, Head of Addictions Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London

Professor Graham Thornicroft, Professor of Community Psychiatry; Head of Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London

Professor Simon Wessely, Head, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London

Presentations

Mental health and physical health : a comparative analysis of costs, quality of service and cost-effectiveness (Michael Parsonage and Chris Naylor)

“Addictions” – drugs, alcohol: an evidence-based orientation (John Strang & Colin Drummond)

Alcohol policy and the preventive paradox (Colin Drummond)

Dementia -The great health and social care challenge for the 21st century
(Sube Banerjee)

How the funding system penalises mental health (Stuart Bell)

The crisis in recruitment into psychiatric training (Simon Wessely)

Investing in services for children (Stephen Scott)

The mental health treatment gap (Graham Thornicroft)

Mental Health Policy Group 2005 - 2006

Download the Group's 2006 Depression Report

Wellbeing Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance