MENTAL health services in Greater Manchester are not spending enough to meet people’s needs, a leading professional medical body has warned.

Spending per person in the region falls short of the average in England, according to new analysis from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

When adjusted according to the region’s needs, Greater Manchester mental health services were found to be shelling out £157.12 per capita ­— or £20 below the national average.

This means Greater Manchester would have to spend around £72.3 million more on services to bring about parity, the Royal College of Psychiatrists says.

Dr Adrian James, registrar of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Our new analysis shows that Greater Manchester, a large urban area with a younger and more deprived population, isn’t spending enough on mental health services to meet the need for them.

“The Government’s ambitions for mental health, put forward in the Long Term Plan, should be commended, but the reality has to match the rhetoric.

“Need for services must continue to translate into money for services.”

Health bosses in the region have admitted that their spending is below the national average but say they are increasing their investment to help improve mental health services.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said:

“We recognise that our spending on mental health in Greater Manchester is below the national average.

“That is why we have met the national mental health investment standard since it was introduced. This requires us to increase the proportion of our money we spend on mental health services year on year.

“Additionally, we are investing an additional £134 million in mental health services during 2017-21, with further investment planned up to 2024.

“That is helping to ensure more people can benefit from a greater availability of mental health services.

“This also means investing in the kind of support which helps ensure good mental health – helping people stay in work, access housing, and tackling social isolation.”

Last year the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP) said it was investing what it believed to be the "biggest and most ambitious investment into mental health services in the country".