7/7 trauma chief calls for crisis fund to aid victims’ treatment

Trauma: walking wounded after the July 7 bombings. A psychologist who helped victims deal with the after-effects of the attacks said the NHS must have funds available for similar situations

A leading clinical psychologist who treated July 7 victims has called for a crisis fund to help tackle the long-term effects of bombings and other traumatic events.

Professor Chris Brewin, who ran a trauma treatment programme after the London terror bombings of 2005, said "more needs to be done" by NHS bosses to ensure money is instantly available.

His team helped about 600 victims and people affected by the bombings as part of a two-year scheme costing £1.3 million, which was supported by the Department of Health.

Professor Brewin said: "There are still problems about funding for unexpected events and the NHS doesn't have a contingency fund.

"The roles are very vague and there's a lot that needs to be done to spell out how strategic health authorities respond to these situations."

His comments come as campaigners today warned that front-line mental health services helping people suffering conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder are set to suffer drastic cuts.

Mental health services are some of the worst affected as NHS London seeks £5 billion savings and it is feared trusts are "gambling" with the long-term mental health of patients.

Dr John Lister, of London Health Emergency, said: "There's a minimal amount of resources for following up people affected by major incidents and any kind of psychological support is likely to be part of the continuing squeeze across the capital.

"But the longer they leave helping people, the more expensive it will be in the long term."

The 7/7 team of five psychologists and four screening staff was widely commended for its work at the Traumatic Stress Clinic, off Tottenham Court Road, which is run by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust.

They used expertise in dealing with rape and torture victims combined with extensive data on treatments after the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Over two years the team treated people for conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder and travel phobia. Treatment included getting victims to remember the things they try to block out or revisiting the places they were trying to avoid, such as a Tube carriage.

The team was hampered initially by a lack of detailed information about the patients and also had details held back because of the Data Protection Act.

In the rush to save lives, proper details were not taken of the wounded, which made it harder for the psychologists to track down victims suffering trauma.

An NHS London spokesman said: "Contingency plans are in place to help the NHS move quickly after a bombing. Mental health support is an integral part of this response.

"After the terrible incidents of 7/7 every lesson has been learned. We are confident that, in the event of another bombing, we can be less cautious over data protection and share information more freely.

"While we must guard every patient's confidentiality, in a major emergency our first priority is the care and mental health of our patients."

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