Funding is a problem, too. Though mental illness represents 28% of the national disease burden in Britain, it accounts for only 13% of spending by the National Health Service (NHS). In 2011-12, for the first time in a decade, funding for mental health fell, says the King’s Fund, another think-tank. Even though the NHS mandated that such funding should increase in 2015-16 alongside increases for acute care, about 40% of mental-health trusts continue to experience year-on-year cuts to their budgets. Since government money for mental illness is not
ring-fenced
, it is often used to
plug gaps
in funding for emergency hospital care or other areas. Mrs May spoke of the need for better accountability. But “investment in mental health has been difficult to maintain when pressures on acute hospital care are so great,” says Helen Gilburt of the King’s Fund.
资金也是一个问题。虽然心理疾病占了英国国家疾病负担的28%,它只占了国家健康服务支出(简称NHS)的13%。在2011年到2012年间,十年里面首次,国家给心理健康的资金投入降低了,另外一个智囊团———国王资金说到。即使NHS批准了心理健康资金投入在2015年到2016年和急诊的治疗资金一样应该提升,但还是有将近40%的心理疾病基金持续经历每年预算的裁剪。由于政府财政对心理疾病的支出存在漏洞,这部分资金在过去就常常用来填补医院急诊或其他领域的空缺。梅女士提到了对更多支出比例的需要。但是国王资金会的海伦吉尔伯特说到,当医院急诊的压力巨大时国家对心理健康医疗的投资一直以来都很难保持。