A NEW government promise to recruit thousands of extra mental health professionals across the country over the next three years has been rubbished by Barrow's MP - who claims 6,700 posts have actually been cut since the Conservatives came to power.

Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt announced on Monday that the NHS will bring in enough staff to treat an additional one million patients a year by 2020 as part of its bid to tackle inequalities between physical and mental health services.

But John Woodcock, Labour MP for Barrow and Furness, said the lives of constituents were at risk because of a chronic shortage of expert help across the area.

Revealing 'dozens' of residents have sought his help over the issue, Mr Woodcock told The Mail: "I welcome the government’s announcement yesterday that they will increase funding in mental health across the country.

"However, Labour have pointed out that, under this government, 6,700 mental health nurses and doctors have been cut, and this goes some way to explaining the crisis we now face.

“My Barrow office have provided assistance to dozens of local people who have found it incredibly difficult to access mental health services because of cuts, but also the struggles the Cumbria Partnership Foundation Trust have faced in recruiting staff."

The government aims to create at least 2,000 extra nursing and consultant positions within children's mental health services in a bid to boost cover nationwide, along with 2,900 therapists supporting adult talking therapies and 4,800 positions within crisis care settings.

But the proposals attracted scepticism from some quarters over how they could be achieved while thousands of existing clinical vacancies within mental health services remain unfilled.

Last year, Barrow's Children's and Adolescent Mental Health Service was revealed to have no permanent psychiatrists when locum clinicians left abruptly following changes to rules governing how much tax they must pay.

Bosses within the Cumbria Partnership NHS Trust, which runs Camhs and other mental health services in the county, stated they have attempted lengthy and exhausted recruitment campaigns but had failed to attract any suitable candidates.

Mr Woodcock added: "In April the locum medics in Fairfield Lane Centre in Barrow pulled out of shifts because of the government’s changes to the amount of tax they pay, meaning appointments had to be cancelled and vulnerable people were put at risk.

"I do believe that lives are literally at risk from the way we are failing to provide mental health care at the moment, and while this announcement is welcome it must go further and deliver the nurses we desperately need to provide this vital care."

Janet Davies, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "It is clear the government will need to work hard just to get back to the number of specialist staff working in mental health services in 2010."

The government’s mental health promise:

THE expansion plan for mental health services will see thousands of new posts created, the government announced this week.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the aim was to treat an extra one million people by 2021, under one of the biggest boosts to mental care in Europe. The £1.3 billion drive will provide services seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and properly integrate mental and physical health services for the first time, he added.

The number of trained nurses, therapists, psychiatrists, peer support workers and other mental health professionals will be "dramatically" increased with 21,000 new posts under the plan, according to the Department of Health.