Summary
The HSCIC publishes more official and national statistics relating to mental health than any other organisation in England. The key data sources for our regular reporting are the Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) and the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) dataset. As well as information about adult specialist mental health services, our linked HES/MHMDS reports provide information about mental health service users contact with acute services. Since April 2013 we have published reports about mental health with the same frequency and timeliness as reporting on acute services.
Key facts for England
Our latest available figures from specialist mental health reports show:
NHS funded services
- About 85 million people accessed specialist mental health services for adults in 2014/15.
- These services include community and rehabilitation services, residential care centres, day clinics and drop-in centres, as well as mental health inpatient services.
- 7 per cent of people accessing adult specialist mental health services in 2014/15 spent at least one night in hospital
- Approximately one in five people aged 90 and over were in contact with mental health and learning disability services in 2014/15
- Almost one million (950,000) individuals were referred to the NHS’s Improving Access to Psychological therapies (IAPT) programme, for help with anxiety or depression, in 2013/14*
- Over 60 per cent of people accessing IAPT services were female.
- 25 to 29-year-olds had the highest access rate by age, at just over three per 100. This compares to just under two in every 100 of the overall adult population
*2014/15 data will be available on the 24 November 2015.
Uses of the Mental Health Act
HSCIC produces the National Statistics that support monitoring of uses of the Mental Health Act, as well as new analysis of data from police forces and MHMDS.
- There were 58,400 cases of people being detained under the Act in 2014/15 – a 9.8 per cent rise on the previous year.
- The instances where section 136 of the act was used to make a short-term detention to a hospital as a ‘place of safety’ increased by 1 per cent compared to the year before (17,000 in 2013/14 and 19,400 in 2014/15).
- Detentions increased in NHS hospitals by 2 per cent (47,974 in 2013/14 and 51,969 in 2014/15) compared to the year before, and in independent sector hospitals by 24.6 per cent (5,162 in 2013/14 and 6,430 in 2014/15)
- 2014/15 data show that people from the Black or Black British ethnic group were more likely than other ethnic groups to be detained, with 9 detentions per 100
Under other legislation:
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) DoLS give a legal framework for a hospital or care home to deprive someone of their liberty when there is no other way to care for them or safely provide treatment and where they are unable to give informed consent regarding their care.
62,645 applications were completed by councils during the year, almost five times as many as the previous highest volume – 13,040 in 2013-14. The number of completed applications has increased every year since DoLS were introduced in 2009.
Guardianship allows a local social services authority or named individual to take certain decisions on behalf of a person with a mental disorder being cared for in the community, to protect their welfare or the welfare of others. Decisions might include where the person lives, or appointments they need to attend.
- There were 212 new Guardianship cases in 2014/15 – representing a 29 per cent fall from the previous year.
Latest available figures from other HSCIC data and reports show:
- NHS hospitals recorded 117,115 cases of self-harm and 14,827 cases of stress and anxiety for 2013/14, measured by the number of Finished Admission Episodes. For self-harm, this was up from 107,451 in 2012/13 and for stress and anxiety, up from 14,230.
A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.
- 5 million antipsychotic prescription items were dispensed in the community in 2014, an increase of 5.2 per cent on 2013. The net cost to the NHS in 2014 was £157.7 million, 1.8 million less than 2013.
- Over 57 million antidepressant prescription items were dispensed in the community in 2014, an increase of 7.2 per cent on 2013. The net cost to the NHS in 2014 was £265.0 million, 17.1 million less than 2013.