SQUEEZES on the health budget have left mental health services with less cash than others despite increased risks to patient care due to understaffing on wards, the King’s Fund health charity warns in a new report published today.

While income for acute and specialist trusts has risen to 16.8 per cent since 2012-13, funding for mental health trusts has increased by just 5.6 per cent.

The number of mental health nurses has fallen 13 per cent since 2009, while one in 10 of all posts in specialist mental health services are currently vacant.

Analysis of Care Quality Commission inspection reports — for all 54 mental health trusts — identified an increased risk to patient safety due to problems with staffing in more than half of trusts.

This included an increased risk of suicide and self-harm on inpatient wards.

Report author Helen Gilburt said: “Unless funding grows more quickly, mental health providers may end up implementing improvements to some services at the expense of others.”