‘Appalling’ state of care – Mind responds to new CQC report
Leading mental health charity responds to ‘devastating revelations’ in annual State of Care report from Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Each year, the CQC reports on performance, quality and challenges in the health and social care sector. As well as sharing examples of good and outstanding care, The State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England reports also highlight where the sector needs to improve.
The latest report was published on Friday; its findings are ‘appalling’, says mental health charity Mind.
Photo by Nikko Macaspac
Having undertaken in-person inspections of facilities across the country, among the CQC’s key findings it that the safety of inpatient wards is affected by a lack of resources, workforce shortages, ageing estates and poorly designed facilities. It noted unclean wards, in some cases with food on floors, ripped furniture and a failure to ensure appropriate hygiene in food preparation areas. Some wards were even closed due to safety concerns.
One seclusion room had no natural light and its intercom facilities did not work, making it difficult for patients to communicate with staff.
The report also notes that deprivation often makes it more difficult to access services. In the year under review, attendance rates for urgent and emergency care were almost twice as high in the most deprived areas of England than in the lest deprived areas. People in deprived areas were also three times more likely to access mental health services.
Racial disparities are also noted. There is also a concerning rise in demand, with one-in-five children and young people aged 8-25 estimated to have a mental-health disorder
While the mental health workforce has grown, there remain persistent problems with staffing and skill levels, which makes it more difficult to address the needs of service users. Across the country, the report acknowledges that services face challenges with recruitment, impacting capacity and the availability and regularity of appointments.
In response to these findings, Minesh Patel, Associate Director of Policy and Campaigns at Mind, says: ‘This report brings more appalling news for people with mental health problems and their loved ones. Too many are still waiting for far too long to get the help they need in the community and are getting more unwell while on sometimes year-long waiting lists. This means more people are reaching crisis point, and if there is a bed free locally, they are detained under an outdated Mental Health Act in hospitals that are often run-down and not fit for purpose.
‘Inequities in accessing care have taken root, too, with people in deprived areas, women and people from ethnic minority groups with mental health problems more likely to attend A&E. Black men’s mental health in particular is being impacted – they are more likely to spend longer in hospital and are subject to greater restriction under the outdated Mental Health Act.
‘We cannot allow this report, which is the latest in a series of devastating revelations about the state of mental health services, to just wash over us and for things to carry on as they are. The sheer number of people affected by mental health problems means many of us will love or know someone who is struggling, and not getting the properly resourced, timely and therapeutic care they need. The new UK government has a chance to turn the tide on the nation’s mental health, by prioritising ambitious reforms to the Mental Health Act and capital investment into mental health services at next week’s Budget.’
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