The Association of Mental Health Providers (AMHP) has created an interactive map to provide a complete picture of mental health service provision across England.
It has combined data from its members and sources including the NHS, the Care Quality Commission, and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) providers of mental health and wellbeing services in England and Wales.
The map, developed in partnership with Esri UK, also includes demographic data from the ArcGIS Living Atlas which includes census data and some curated data sourced from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
Esri said it can help users understand where there are gaps in provision and to build cases for future government funding, and can be used by integrated care systems (ICSs), local authorities, and VCSE providers.
It is expected to be particularly valuable to the 42 ICSs, which require an accurate, integrated picture of their populations and healthcare services.
Vital for planning and funding
Kathy Roberts, chief executive of the AMHP said: “With this tool revealing there are 884 VCSE organisations supporting the 843 CQC registered providers, it will be a vital element in planning and funding regional health service provision. Crucially, the tool will unlock patterns and identify gaps in mental health service provision to inform decision making within ICS.
“Feedback from our 300 plus members, delivering over 3,000 services locally, regionally, and nationally, has highlighted concerns that their social care and support services, keeping people safe and well in the community, have been underestimated and have not been recognised in funding analysis.”
She added: “This mapping tool is an ongoing project and we encourage community engagement from the VCSE sector for data improvements and validation.”
Duncan Booth, head of health and social care at Esri UK said: “By integrating different data sources and giving the data a location, a much needed ‘single view of the truth’ has been created, providing mental health service decision makers with valuable new insights.”
