Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland tell us about the health profile of our population.
In meeting the needs of people who have mental health conditions, we are performing as well as other areas in England, and in some areas we are doing better. We, however, need to do better in some areas of care and treatment.
In Leicester City (JSNA 2020) we have higher numbers (than the England average) of people:
- claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) for mental health and behavioural disorders
- suffering from serious mental illnesses
- reporting problems with their wellbeing
- using opiates and/or crack cocaine
We also have more admissions to hospital as a result of an alcohol-related condition, or mental and behavioural disorders, due to alcohol The Leicestershire JSNA (2018) showed that acute (most serious) mental health bed days (time spent in a hospital bed) were significantly higher than the England average. This suggests that people admitted to hospital stay there for longer than average. In 2020, significant work was undertaken to improve this situation. In Leicestershire, our mental health services are too fragmented and our waiting times are too long.
The Rutland JSNA (2018) shows areas against which Rutland is poorer than the national average. However, as with Leicestershire, the main issues are that services are not joined up and people are waiting too long.