The RCP welcomes the announcement by NHS England that it will reverse the decision to halt new referrals from secondary care staff to the NHS Practitioner Health service. The college spoke out on social media on the weekend following an outpouring of concern from its fellows and members and followed up with a letter to NHSE earlier today.
In her letter to Amanda Pritchard and Steve Powis, PRCP Dr Sarah Clarke asked for the decision to halt the service to be urgently reconsidered and requested a meeting to discuss the reasons behind the decision and how NHSE intended to manage new referrals moving forward. She said: “There has been a huge outpouring of concern about announced changes to the NHS Practitioner Health service that I must register with you. Multiple RCP fellows and members have been in touch direct with me and on social media at the potential loss of what has been a lifeline service for some.
“You will both be more than aware that NHS staff continue to face huge challenges – with staff shortages (over 110 FTE vacancies) and waiting lists at 7.5 million. Mental health support is as vital now as ever – 42% of staff in 2023 felt unwell due to work-related stress.
“While NHSE has said it will review the staff support offer for mental health across all staff groups ‘to consider long term sustainable options’, the decision to halt new referrals for secondary care staff as that review is undertaken is deeply concerning. It will leave NHS staff, including physicians, feeling unsupported and undervalued. We ask you to urgently reconsider this decision and read the stories of how greatly the support has been appreciated by so many staff.”
NHSE has now confirmed that following discussions with NHS Practitioner Health, they have agreed to extend the service by 12 months for both existing and new service users. NHSE will still carry out its planned wider review of the staff support offer for mental health ‘to consider long term sustainable options’. The RCP will take an active interest in this process, recommending that any new solution must be either equal to or better than the current situation. All NHS staff groups must have the mental health support they need.