Equal value of physical and mental health: transforming outcomes by 2021

Paramedic practice is known to be a vulnerable line of work, in part because it is common for patients to have some form of mental illness (SA Health, 2015). This can of course make their behaviour and reactions unpredictable at times, and their care will require additional skills that health professionals may or may not always be equipped with. The unnecessary variation in access and quality of care that exists across England for people with mental health problems is an issue that has been highlighted before, and that needs urgent attention.

Earlier this year, NHS England recognised this and launched an independent taskforce whose role was to develop a 5-year national strategy to improve mental health outcomes across the NHS (Mental Health Taskforce, 2015). The strategy interim report called, The Five Year Forward View Mental Health Taskforce: public engagement findings, was published in September and delves into the unmet needs of people with mental health conditions of all ages.