News > Enhancing depression care

Created: 2007-04-24 18:12:48

During Depression Awareness Week, 16 to 22 April 2007, SANE and fellow mental health charity Depression Alliance worked together to ask for improvements to the GP contract in order to close the gaps in care exposed by the results of a new survey.

The Now We're Talking! report reveals how the current GP contract compromises care for people with depression and proposes solutions for improving treatment.

With support from Lilly UK and Boehringer Ingelheim, SANE and Depression Alliance conducted a survey of over 450 people living with depression. The results revealed that some people are waiting over a year to receive a diagnosis, that 41 per cent felt their preferred treatment option was not adequately discussed or considered by their GP, and that 58 per cent would have welcomed more ongoing support.

"The GP contract contains indicators outlining the range of services GPs should perform and against which GPs are measured and rewarded," says Emma Smith, SANE's communications officer. "The indicators relating to depression are very narrow and do not encourage adequate diagnosis, management or long-term treatment."

The campaign received coverage in The Times and the Daily Mail, was featured on GMTV, and was discussed in Parliament. The Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Dr Vince Cable, put the Minister of State for Health, Rosie Winterton, on the spot about what the Government were doing to make the changes SANE is asking for. Negotiations between NHS Employers and the General Practitioners Committee are due to resume in the coming months.

For more information please download the full report here.