Make it count for mental health

Lord Darzi has set out a far-reaching vision for the health service. Giving people who use health services for long periods control of their own budgets can revolutionise healthcare in this country.

Many mental health service users know what works for them and what doesn't. Commissioners should see this as a major opportunity to build the kind of services people want and need to help them to rebuild their lives. It is vital individual budgets are tested with people with mental health conditions as well as those with physical illnesses.

Proposed new health centres could become places where people who find registering with a GP difficult - such as recently released prisoners - can get the basic healthcare they desperately need and still frequently do not get. These centres can also offer much-needed expert advice and support on getting and keeping work to people with depression, as well as timely access to psychological therapies.

The review and the draft constitution rightly emphasise treating people with dignity and respect. This must apply just as much to people in psychiatric wards, secure units and prisons as it will to those in general hospitals.

Angela Greatley, chief executive, Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health