The NHS needs to reverse its misguided practice of incorporating old age mental health services into generic “all age” services.
According to recent research in the British Journal of Psychiatry (http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/207/5/440), older adults have better outcomes if cared for in mental health services specifically set up to meet their needs. The journal asked me to write the accompanying editorial (http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/207/5/375), and in it I outlined the reasons why I believe the NHS has been wrong to move away from services catering specifically for the needs of older people.
Over the last few years, some NHS trusts have incorporated old age mental health services into generic “all age” services. In these services an 18 year old and 80 year old person would be treated by the same team. There are three main reasons for this trend to ageless services: cost saving, misunderstanding of the Equalities Act and ageism. There are also three main reasons why older people should have their own dedicated services:
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