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<p>Everyone should be able to access mental health services according to need. However,
we know that there are inequalities in the access to mental health services. For example,
older adults, men, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and those who
are Deaf are not accessing services in the numbers predicted by prevalence studies.
The National Health Service is leading on work on equality of access. We are listening
to people with experience of mental health within BAME communities and continuing
to make the changes needed to ensure equality throughout mental health services.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to make additional resources available for
mental health services in BAME communities. However, planning requirements for 2015-2016
require clinical commissioning groups to invest additionally in mental health in line
with the growth in their overall funding allocation, which should benefit all communities.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In July 2014, the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health
published guidance for commissioners of mental health services for those from black
and minority ethnic communities which is attached and can be found at the following
link:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.jcpmh.info/wp-content/uploads/jcpmh-bme-guide.pdf"
target="_blank">http://www.jcpmh.info/wp-content/uploads/jcpmh-bme-guide.pdf</a></p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department has been working with NHS England and commissioners
to disseminate this guidance which describes what ‘good’ mental health services for
people from BAME communities look like.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>One of the key
priorities of the work in updating the <em>Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice</em>,
which was published in January 2015, was to eliminate discrimination, including for
people from BAME communities. The Department’s published Equality Analysis <em>Equality
for all: Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice</em> sets out a range of additional
guidance that has been included aiming to address concerns raised by BAME stakeholders
and others.</p><p> </p>
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