Commenting on the follow-up report of the Wales Audit Office on adult mental health services, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales Central Leanne Wood said:
“While the report shows there have been some improvements in mental health services in Wales, there are also some very serious areas for concern. It is particularly worrying that eight of the 22 local health boards in existence before reorganisation had not provided any training in mental health issues to GPs or practice nurses during the previous three years to 2009.
“While there is merit in the principle of reducing of inpatient beds in order to increase the emphasis on community diagnosis and treatment, this has not necessarily been seen in terms of staffing levels. The report has found that while adult mental health beds were being reduced by 23% between 2005 and 2009, four local authority areas experienced a reduction in community staffing of up to 15%”
Ms Wood added:
“It is of paramount importance that people in need of mental health treatment get assistance as quickly as possible. Relatively minor mental health conditions can quickly spiral into something much more debilitating unless effective action is taken.
“Both the lack of GP training and variable levels of community staffing suggests there is much room for improvement in the first line of defence against mental health problems.”
