NHS Director for Mental Health calls for end to 'Betting Bribes'

As an NHS worker I can tell you most of these managers spend all day sat in meetings discussing the last meeting and when the next meeting is, she will have to justify her job to the NHS board by making public statements and proposals.

Most of the team I have just joined just spend all week in meetings and justifying why they exist.

I sat through a two hour team meeting on Tuesday going through a report to the CCG as to why we did this in the last three months.

Two weeks ago I sat in a meeting as an observer of 20 odd nurses from all over the county the meeting was supposed to be 1 and a half hours if finished after 10 minutes as no one had anything to say they then indulged in a cake someone had bought to celebrate the end of the year.

20 nurses taken from their normal job to travel to a meeting that lasted 10 mins and the only thing they discussed was when the next meeting will be.
 
Have to repost on this.

What really annoys me is the state of the Mental Health treatment and availability for treatment in the UK.

This lady should address the utter and complete failings of her system to treat mental health before criticising external influences.

For people who do not know the current attitude is this - Medicate freely whilst 'being seen' to offer treatment.

Antidepressants are freely available and readily dished out by the NHS daily. Treatment in the form of counselling or psychiatric help is also available but is set up to fail.

This means the NHS approach is geared up to fund the pharmaceutical companies and medicate the problem not find a solution.

When somebody has a mental illness they find it hard to stick to appointments and in some cases even get out of bed. If you miss more than one appointment of your funded therapy you are thrown off of the treatment.

They should fund more therapy and focus on cure rather being so quick to medicate. Some people have been on antidepressants for years with no review or questioning from their doctors whose only thought is to offer prescriptions.
 
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It is high time sporting bodies get back to their roots and start focusing on fans and families enjoying watching their heroes play, rather than allowing firms to hijack sport in pursuit of profit.

So no football club is in it for the money then.....
 
Have to repost on this.

What really annoys me is the state of the Mental Health treatment and availability for treatment in the UK.

This lady should address the utter and complete failings of her system to treat mental health before criticising external influences.

For people who do not know the current attitude is this - Medicate freely whilst 'being seen' to offer treatment.

Antidepressants are freely available and readily dished out by the NHS daily. Treatment in the form of counselling or psychiatric help is also available but is set up to fail.

This means the NHS approach is geared up to fund the pharmaceutical companies and medicate the problem not find a solution.

When somebody has a mental illness they find it hard to stick to appointments and in some cases even get out of bed. If you miss more than one appointment of your funded therapy you are thrown off of the treatment.

They should fund more therapy and focus on cure rather being so quick to medicate. Some people have been on antidepressants for years with no review or questioning from their doctors whose only thought is to offer prescriptions.

I agree with that completely. I really don't like the way antidepressants are handed out like smarties, with little or no support to actually 'fix' the underlying problems. Up here, you have to self refer then it will be around 6-8 months from your initial phone call, to getting your first, first line, low level CBT appointment. Getting to second level support will usually take around 18 months minimum.

If you break your leg, they don't give you painkillers and tell you, because it doesn't hurt any more, just to keep taking them without fixing the problem, so why when your mind is broken, do they just give you tablets and tell you to go away without fixing the problem.
 
I agree with that completely. I really don't like the way antidepressants are handed out like smarties, with little or no support to actually 'fix' the underlying problems. Up here, you have to self refer then it will be around 6-8 months from your initial phone call, to getting your first, first line, low level CBT appointment. Getting to second level support will usually take around 18 months minimum.

If you break your leg, they don't give you painkillers and tell you, because it doesn't hurt any more, just to keep taking them without fixing the problem, so why when your mind is broken, do they just give you tablets and tell you to go away without fixing the problem.
Mental health has come a long was since I needed it in 1998, 2003, 2007 and 2010.

In 1998 I was depressed from a viral illness for 6 months I was given Seroxat and that was it no explanation on what else to do, In 2003 there was no mental health help I had to pay £50 a session for private therapy for anxiety and agoraphobia and was nearly sacked, in 2007 IAPT was brought in which I trialled and was a blessed relief access to someone on the NHS.

Now there are Talking Shops, Crisis Lines Crisis Teams, helplines everywhere, I would not wish to go back to 1998 or 2003 when there was absolutely nothing available.
 
I'm contracting in the Public Sector at the moment for a council. I can tell you that senior management have not got a fucking clue, stuck in endless meetings about meetings. There is no way this person has any idea what they are talking about. Someone would have mentioned it at a meeting and he/she thought it would look good in a press report.
 
It is interesting that since this 'story' went live late last night ( I covered it at 4 in the morning on CG ), the mainstream media has since picked it up and used it to beat the iGaming industry with a big stick.

I fear very much that things are going to get much worse in the UK, something I commented on in this article yesterday - UKGC bans Credit Cards and make GamStop a Prerequisite for Licensing

It would make much more sense, for the UKGC to go after those unlicensed operators who advertise their wares to UK players. Plus removing 'facilities' such as the Reverse Withdrawal.

There are lots of tools already to encourage responsible gambling, GamStop, BetBlocker and now the main banks allowing you to freeze gambling transactions.
 
Services may be more widely available but still ropey on the whole, for all the 'mental health awareness' they like to beat into the public consciousness.

So this is why GPs will dole out meds, a lot of mental health organizations are painfully slow in helping, the likes of MIND, Greenwich Time to Talk (top of my head) will have waiting lists in excess of 3-6 months, and the service 'mixed'.

One such 'worker' once told a certain someone who called up enquiring about services and their problems, briefly outlined, that they should 'snap out of it' amongst other things :eek:

Let's face it, the quality of staff in NHS Mental Health services is debatable at best
 
Services may be more widely available but still ropey on the whole, for all the 'mental health awareness' they like to beat into the public consciousness.

So this is why GPs will dole out meds, a lot of mental health organizations are painfully slow in helping, the likes of MIND, Greenwich Time to Talk (top of my head) will have waiting lists in excess of 3-6 months, and the service 'mixed'.

One such 'worker' once told a certain someone who called up enquiring about services and their problems, briefly outlined, that they should 'snap out of it' amongst other things :eek:

Let's face it, the quality of staff in NHS Mental Health services is debatable at best
GP's tend to give out meds as it shuts the patients up, I remember patients ringing up going I got a cold and a cough I want antibiotics get the doctor to give me antibiotics and a script would come out for antibiotics as it wasn't worth the fuss of saying no.

One GP told me a few times how nearly all the sicknotes she gives out are to people who are not really sick but it isn't worth the fuss of saying no, she used to say on a Friday evening give them what they want it's Friday isn't it and we want to go home on time.
 
Up here, you have to self refer then it will be around 6-8 months from your initial phone call, to getting your first, first line, low level CBT appointment.

Its the same down here. Treating the cause of the problem and professional help should take priority over medication. I can only speak as i find. The people i know well who are on medication have been so for life and are still very dysfunctional with major highs, lows and inability to deal with daily life.

Now there are Talking Shops, Crisis Lines Crisis Teams, helplines everywhere, I would not wish to go back to 1998 or 2003 when there was absolutely nothing available.

I agree that there is much more awareness now and whatever your occupation within the health system i commend you.

There are lots of charities and advice lines that do a fantastic job but ultimately what is needed is one to one therapy and professional help.

In my experience the charities eventually end up funnelling you down the NHS route which is where I believe it goes wrong. One to one or even group therapy is the best means for coming to terms with your thoughts. Masking thoughts and problems with drugs do not solve the issue. Yes, they make things ok for some in the short and long term but for the majority i think do not help. Therapy is by far the best practice but it is hard to get straight away without paying for it.
 
It is high time sporting bodies get back to their roots and start focusing on fans and families enjoying watching their heroes play, rather than allowing firms to hijack sport in pursuit of profit.

So no football club is in it for the money then.....

Nah, theres no money to be made in sports.
How could there be, when the best football players go for €100-300 million.
;)
 
I overheard a conversation at toddler group yesterday. One of the other mums was at a total loss regarding what to do.

She received a call last week to say her brother was hanging off a motorway bridge. They finally talked him down and took him to hospital where she met him.

They held him for two hours then sent him home. When she spoke to the doctor he said “I think he might be depressed. I’ve told him he needs to take the anti depressants prescribed previously”

and there endeth the care and intervention for his mental health... REALLY?????
 
I overheard a conversation at toddler group yesterday. One of the other mums was at a total loss regarding what to do.

She received a call last week to say her brother was hanging off a motorway bridge. They finally talked him down and took him to hospital where she met him.

They held him for two hours then sent him home. When she spoke to the doctor he said “I think he might be depressed. I’ve told him he needs to take the anti depressants prescribed previously”

and there endeth the care and intervention for his mental health... REALLY?????

The sad thing is, that doesn't surprise me at all. Some of the care leaves a lot to be desired.
I know an 18 year old girl who tried to kill herself 5 times during 2017 and early 2018, so when she was 16/17. She has had problems since she was about 13 and got absolutely no support until the first suicide attempt. She was doing really well, started college doing childcare with a view to becoming a nursery teacher eventually. Had every intention of going to uni. But all the time she's painfully aware of her mental health problems, and has been trying her best to go to CBT appointments and stuff. When she started college Sept 2018 she had to miss 2 months of CBT as, despite her only doing about 16 hours at college, they wouldn't change her day or time of her CBT to fit in around college. When they finally did, in April last year they told her during one of the sessions she 'had to get better' before November as then she would be transferred to adult services. There would be a break of at least 6 months before she would be seen and 18 months before she got to the high level of support she needs. But what really pissed me off was that they also told her, once she was in adult CBT, it would show up on future DBS checks and she would never be able to work with children. She stuck college out till the end of last year and has quit, not because she wanted to, but because she needs help, and she says, whats the point of going through college to never be able to work in a field she wants to.
 
I’ve told him he needs to take the anti depressants prescribed previously

Sadly enough, thats not the first time ive heard that. Thats why it angers me so much. With all the focus on mental health in the UK the system should be supporting, not failing basics.

once she was in adult CBT, it would show up on future DBS checks and she would never be able to work with children.

I didnt know that and think thats shocking. CBT is brain training for the better.

Edit: I should say also, regarding your post Supa, that ive never seen an anti depressant where a possible side effect was not depression.
 
The sad thing is, that doesn't surprise me at all. Some of the care leaves a lot to be desired.
I know an 18 year old girl who tried to kill herself 5 times during 2017 and early 2018, so when she was 16/17. She has had problems since she was about 13 and got absolutely no support until the first suicide attempt. She was doing really well, started college doing childcare with a view to becoming a nursery teacher eventually. Had every intention of going to uni. But all the time she's painfully aware of her mental health problems, and has been trying her best to go to CBT appointments and stuff. When she started college Sept 2018 she had to miss 2 months of CBT as, despite her only doing about 16 hours at college, they wouldn't change her day or time of her CBT to fit in around college. When they finally did, in April last year they told her during one of the sessions she 'had to get better' before November as then she would be transferred to adult services. There would be a break of at least 6 months before she would be seen and 18 months before she got to the high level of support she needs. But what really pissed me off was that they also told her, once she was in adult CBT, it would show up on future DBS checks and she would never be able to work with children. She stuck college out till the end of last year and has quit, not because she wanted to, but because she needs help, and she says, whats the point of going through college to never be able to work in a field she wants to.

surely they can’t include medical info on an enhanced DBS check.
It is for checking criminal backgrounds and would need consent to access such medical data, surely???
Checked further and she was misinformed I think.....
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Betfred's owners make millions from also owning a company that treats gambling addicts.

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Or we could point the finger of blame at massively overstretched GPs and mental health services, that might work too.

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As an NHS worker I can tell you most of these managers spend all day sat in meetings discussing the last meeting and when the next meeting is, she will have to justify her job to the NHS board by making public statements and proposals.

Most of the team I have just joined just spend all week in meetings and justifying why they exist.

I sat through a two hour team meeting on Tuesday going through a report to the CCG as to why we did this in the last three months.

Two weeks ago I sat in a meeting as an observer of 20 odd nurses from all over the county the meeting was supposed to be 1 and a half hours if finished after 10 minutes as no one had anything to say they then indulged in a cake someone had bought to celebrate the end of the year.

20 nurses taken from their normal job to travel to a meeting that lasted 10 mins and the only thing they discussed was when the next meeting will be.

Exactly. Wasteful.

Then they have the gumption to turn around and tell us the NHS is underfunded.
 
The parents of Sheffield man Jack Richie who died after becoming addicted to gambling have told itv Calendar news that gambling is the same as a class A drug and is a kin to heroin and crack cocaine.
 

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