Mental health charity MACA has called for the Department of Health to consider appointing a mental health czar in the wake of the appointment of a national heart director last week. Chief executive Gil Hitchon said: 'Cancer, heart disease and mental health are the government's top health priorities. We now have a 'czar' for the first two. I would like to see the DoH consider what benefit there might be in a similar position for mental health.' He added: 'Unless there is someone with responsibility for the total picture there is a real risk of wasting resources and goodwill, while failing to define which initiatives produce the desired outcomes.'