People with mental health issues should run their own services more, says NHS head [Independent.co.uk]

People with mental health issues should be more involved in running the services they use, a group representing NHS managers has recommended.

Helen Birtwhistle, the external affairs director at the NHS Confederation, said service users were best placed to tell health service bosses where improvements needed to be made.

“I really think in provision of mental health we need to involve people who have mental health conditions in the decisions and planning of health services,” she told a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference organised by the think-tank 2020 Health.

“I think it’s absolutely vital. We know that has a huge impact as well on inequality of access to health services. We’ve got to enable people to have a proper and meaningful voice in their services.”

The NHS Confederation is a membership organisation that represents the leadership level of the health service.

[For more of this story, written by Jon Stone, go to http://www.independent.co.uk/l...s-head-a6671381.html]