Health minister John Hutton was in Bradford today to announce a new mental health tsar for the country and see one of the city's pioneering services for the mentally ill.

Visiting Barkerend Health Centre, he met and praised staff from the Bradford Home Treatment Service, one of the few groups in the country to treat acute mentally-ill patients at home instead of in hospital.

Established in 1996, the team of health and social services staff provides intensive support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, visiting patients up to three times a day so they can stay at home with their families.

Mr Hutton said the staff were highly committed to their work and he hoped similar services could be established throughout the country.

"It's very impressive and they are crossing boundaries trying to provide an integrated service for people," he said. " It's a very good model we are encouraging others to follow."

The minister was accompanied by the newly-appointed mental health supremo Louis Appleby, a former Professor of psychiatry from Manchester University, who is to act as a co-ordinator for national NHS policy.

He is the third health tsar to be appointed as part of the Government's National Service Framework to improve treatment of cancer, heart disease and mental health.

Professor Appleby said his job was to implement new guidelines for NHS treatment and ensure standards of care did not vary between districts. Key areas would include prevention of suicide and homicide due to mental illness, management of primary care and a higher quality of service and safety.

He added that the Bradford Home Treatment team was a tremendous service which was sensitive to the ethnic minorities and cultural life in Bradford, which he would look at exporting to other parts of the country.

Chairman of Bradford Community Health NHS Trust John Watson welcomed his appointment.

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