Commenting on today's Audit Commission and
Healthcare Commission report on NHS reforms, Turning Point's Chief
Executive, Lord Victor Adebowale, says:
"The NHS has been the envy of the world for six decades. In the
next few years I want to see much more patient choice and a focus
on tackling health inequalities. The key to this is greater
integration of health and social care services. At Turning Point we
support people who have a number of complex needs such as drug
problems, debt and family issues or mental health problems. Often
their first port of call is their local A and E department, and
it's just not appropriate. We need innovative services that address
all of the problems that people have.
"The report is right to emphasise the need for sound financial
management. What better way to keep the NHS business-like than to
provide innovative schemes which have cost-savings built in? For
instance, the Government has asked organisations to provide
'talking therapies' for people who are waiting for mental health
appointments. This sort of sophisticated response will help those
who need quick interventions, but will also save the public purse
because those people can be fast-tracked onto the right treatment
without their cases clogging up the system."
For more information please contact:
Steve Palmer
Turning Point Press Officer
020 7481 7630
Out of hours 07786 938 601
www.turning-point.co.uk
Notes to editors
1. 'Is the treatment working? Progress with the NHS system
reform programme', is published jointly today (12 June) by the
Audit Commission http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/
and the Healthcare Commission http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/homepage.cfm
2. Lord Victor Adebowale is a commissioner at the Audit
Commission.
3. Turning Point is the UK's leading social care organisation:
Turning Point provides services for people with complex needs,
including those affected by drug and alcohol misuse, mental health
problems or those with a learning disability. Turning Point
provides services in over 250 locations and has contact with over
100,000 people every year.
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