The Platform for the Defense of Public Mental Health Care in Catalonia is born

Last October 10th, and to mark World Mental Health Day, there was a presentation in Barcelona of  PLATFORM FOR THE DEFENSE OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN CATALONIA. This movement was born as an initiative of professionals involved in mental health and addiction care. It has the support of various institutions and groups in the sector, and defines its mission based on the following objectives:

1. Improve information about the consequences of budget cuts
2. To ensure the quality of public services
3. To ensure dignified working conditions for its employees
4. Promote the participation and involvement of network professionals.

Representing their Promoter Group were: Àngels Vives, president of the FCCSM, Regina Bayo-Borràs, president of the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies Section of the FEAP, Víctor Martí, director of the FCCSM, Josep Vilajoana, Dean of the Official College of Psychologists of Catalonia, Núria Carrera, Dean of the Official College of Social Workers of Catalonia, and Núria Cuixart, Head of Programs for the Official College of Nurses of Barcelona.

Àngels Vives This initiative will be highlighted as an act of responsibility and commitment from the professionals towards their work, for denouncing shortcomings and for seeking proposals for improvement. He defined the act as transcendent and foundational.

«The Platform is a meeting place for professionals to think together and take action.»

Regina Bayo-Borràs Let's talk about the background and in particular the movement created in Madrid under the name of the Declaration of Atocha, a state-level initiative for the defense of a public mental health care model.

Victor Marti He pointed out that this initiative is also related to a need that professionals had already expressed at another conference organized by the FCCSM and professional colleges. At this previous conference, they all committed to analyzing and responding to the consequences of budget cuts in the public network. Likewise, for the formation of the steering group, he insisted on making a broad and open call to different entities and groups representing professionals, families, and users.

Pep Vilajoana He highlighted the necessary complementarity between Professional Colleges and the Platform. In this regard, he pointed out that Platforms can streamline the functioning of institutions if they are committed and transparent. He also noted that improving the working conditions of professionals is improving their health, which will benefit the patients who receive services from these professionals.

For its part, Núria Carrera The Platform will be defined as a political tool against the democratic setback in our country. He denounced that the lack of information is relevant, and this prevents us from responding to many of the things that are happening. For example, the fall of universal rights.

Finally, Núria Cuixart He warned that the crisis undermines the responsibility and commitment of professionals. He denounced the pressure that professionals sometimes receive to remain silent. He advocated for thinking together and making decisions aimed at improving the quality of our work. He maintained that, in situations of social crises (plural), nurses who focus on people help to balance and restore social justice.

And in the open round for public interventions (approximately 90 people), some of the topics that were discussed include:

• The need for professional organizations, users and families, and citizen platforms in general to join forces.
• Concern became evident about the decrease in the quality of care in public services as a consequence of budget austerity policies.
• The increase in demand in the most vulnerable population sectors.
• The lack of data and indicators on all these aspects: ratios of professionals per inhabitant, frequency of visits, etc., and which need to be requested.
• The support received was debated and contrasted, such as the fact that different entities, for various reasons, chose not to support the Platform.
• The need for professional training tools to prevent their burnout.
• The importance of the place occupied by Primary Health Care, also in the population's mental health.
• Reference was made to the attack on the biopsychosocial model at the healthcare level and its drift towards more biocommercial approaches (industry and sale of products at all levels).
• There was an insistence on the need to be better informed about the current situation.
• A distinction is made in the sense that the social struggle must be carried out from a platform among everyone, and on the other hand, we professionals must seek care for ourselves on our own.

«The transformation of the Catalan healthcare system is taking place amid a significant lack of transparency.»

«The crisis is an opportunity to rethink the model. It is not a matter of resources; it is a matter of resource distribution.»

«With the cuts and the times we are living through, professionals see that the work they are doing is not what they would want to be doing and they feel demotivated but at the same time, encouraged to move forward.»

Finally, from the Steering Committee, some last pieces of information were given:

• The outlook for a meeting with the spokespersons of the different parliamentary groups in the Health Commission of the Parliament of Catalonia (10-29-14).
• You are reminded that the adhesions to the Manifesto can be made at the institutional or personal level.
• For this first edition of the Platform, three working meetings are planned: October 29, November 19, and December 10. All three will be from 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM. The first of these will be held at the headquarters of the College of Social Workers, and the rest are pending location confirmation. The conclusions of this first edition of the Platform will be presented at a larger meeting at the end of January 2015.

Video recap of the event