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New Statutory body as an alternative to the NHS for mental health and hidden disability

IrishInManchesterUK

Now that advances in medical science has uncovered more people in modern times, children, adolescents and adults alike, including in the post-Covid era, with mental health and hidden disabilities including autism, is it not now time to set up a separate statutory body, properly funded and properly managed, entirely seperate from the NHS, dealing exclusively with all mental health and hidden disability issues? We all know the problems of the NHS that have been going on for decades and are well-documented, of mismanagement and wastage, so is it not time for a fresh start with a new body, alongside implementing reforms within the NHS?

  • IrishInManchesterUK said:
    properly funded and properly managed,

    I applaud the idea but these 2 items are going to be huge stumbling blocks.

    To fund this, you will need billions of pounds to fund it, so where will this money come from? The NHS is badly underfunded so this isn't a realistic source so either other services will be gutted or tax increases will be needed. Any thoughts of how you think it could happen?

    As for staffing it, there are few enough educated professionals on the subject of neurodiversity so there will need to be a huge program of training and continuous education to keep them up to date with research developments. This is another big cost but more importantly, where will these professionals come from? They are not just sitting around waiting for work so they will need to be created or stolen from other services.

    When you consider the nature of the way neurodiversity is treated, it is primarily an ongoing management service as there is no "cure" to be had. This means the costs will be significant and repeating. 

    In terms of just autism and ADHD, this makes up around 8% of the population. How many people need help? I would estimate that for the service to be meaningful then at least half would need help, so 70 million * 0.04 = 2.8 million people.

    What would seem a reasonable allocation of services per person? A conservative allowance of 1 session with a therapist per month feels about right. Each session costs around £60 at todays rates, so 2.3 million * £60 * 12 session a year = £2 billion just in therapy, never mind drugs, training up therapists, staffing the service and all the costs of running the department.

    I would expect a figure of around £7-8 billion a year to run this service and this is just for autism and ADHD. Expand it to cover any other hidden disabilities and you will probably double this.

    I'm just throwing some numbers at this to see if it is remotely viable, and it doesn't seem like the public will be happy to support such a big tax hit or loss of other services for people who don't look like they have a problem. 

    Any other suggestions or revisions of numbers to make this a evaluation more realistic?