Debt support scheme for people in mental health crisis reaching just 3% of forecast number
Just 3% of the expected number of people have accessed a scheme to help people in mental health crisis manage their debts.
The government had forecast that 27,500 people would access the mental health breathing space programme in 2021-22. The scheme gives people a moratorium on certain debts for the duration of their treatment plus 30 days.
However, just 786 people were registered for the scheme in its first 10 months, from its launch in May 2021 to February 2022, equivalent to 3% of the anticipated number.
To access mental health breathing space, a person needs an approved mental health professional’s (AMHP) certification that they are accessing mental health crisis care. This encompasses being detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983, being removed to a place of safety by the police or receiving any other crisis, emergency or acute service from a specialist team in relation to a serious mental disorder.
The purpose of breathing space is to give the person the opportunity to tackle their debts by preventing creditors from contacting them or taking enforcement action for the duration of the scheme, and providing them with debt advice.
AMHP leads’ concerns
The AMHP Leads Network, which represents AMHP managers, said the figures confirmed what they had been seeing in practice, and that action was required to widen awareness of the scheme to other mental health professionals.
“Prior to implementation we had expressed concerns that limiting the certification role to AMHPs may overly restrict access to the scheme – as many people in mental health crisis do not encounter AMHP services,” said the network.
“AMHPs and AMHP services are well aware of and ready for referrals to the scheme and most have taken steps to promote this locally. However we are not confident that the broader range of mental health services supporting people in crisis are aware of and promoting the scheme and this may be limiting referrals.
“Wider publication of the scheme to the full range of community and inpatient mental health teams may be required in order to improve the uptake of what is a welcome and much needed intervention to people experiencing mental health crisis.”
More on your role under breathing space
Community Care Inform Adults users can find out more in our guide to breathing space by Tim Spencer-Lane.
The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute gave a similar message in a recent report on tackling financial difficulties among people receiving specialist mental health care.
It said the low take-up of the scheme was not indicative of need but implementation challenges. It urged the Treasury, which oversees breathing space, to consider promoting its use among mental health practitioners other than AMHPs, such as social workers, nurses and healthcare assistants.
Problem debt ‘can exacerbate mental health problems’
More significantly, it said the scheme should be offered automatically to all people detained under longer-term sections of the MHA, such as section 3 (detention for treatment in hospital). The institute said this would reflect the wider recognition of the “links between mental health problems and financial difficulties and how problem debt can exacerbate mental health problems”.
To enable this, professionals should conduct a systematic enquiry of people’s financial circumstances within 14 days of their detention starting, before referring them to an AMHP for certification if appropriate.
“This would also ensure opportunities to support people through formal debt advice after discharge are not missed, and people will be supported to resolve financial difficulties and help to prevent financial worries from hindering recovery,” the report said.
The government’s view is that take-up levels reflect much lower demand for debt advice during the pandemic, and debt advice providers and mental health crisis care providers taking time to adapt their ways of working to breathing space.