16.11.17
CQC: Key community mental health services worsened since 2014
Patient experiences of community mental healthcare have worsened in some areas, with the overall landscape showing limited progress, a CQC survey has found.
Results of the annual community mental health survey suggest that patients have not seen an improvement in these services across England, with a decline in key areas.
Over 12,100 people took part in the survey, which looked at their experiences of being cared for outside of the hospital setting, such as through specialist clinics or at home.
Although almost two-thirds of participants rated their experiences as “seven or above” out of 10, this is not an improvement from 2014.
Fewer people were satisfied with the support they received when they experienced a mental health crisis out of hours, with 26% saying that they did not feel that they got the help they needed, compared to 21% in 2014.
A quarter reported that they had not seen workers from their mental health services often enough to meet their needs in the last year - up from 21% in 2014.
Only 68% of respondents felt that their healthcare or social workers listened to them, which is down from 73% in 2014, and fewer people felt that they definitely had sufficient time to discuss their needs and treatment – down by four percentage points in 2014 to 61%.
There was some variation across different groups, with patients aged over 50 reporting more positive experiences than the younger demographic. However, there was a “marked trend” that the longer a person had been in contact with mental health services, the worse the experience reported.
Dr. Paul Lelliott, deputy chief inspector of hospitals and lead for mental health at the CQC, said: “While it is good that two-thirds of people in contact with community mental health services are satisfied overall with the care they are receiving, this still means that one in three people did not rate their experience so highly and it is disappointing that the results do not show improvements year-to-year.
“These services are important because they support the great majority of people who are under the care of specialist mental healthcare providers; including at times of crisis. They are also essential in working with people to ensure that their mental health does not deteriorate to the point that they require inpatient care.”
He also highlighted as a “particular concern” that the fact that a higher proportion of people who sought help in a crisis weren’t satisfied with the help provided.
The CQC now expects providers to review their results “very carefully.”
“We will continue to use these findings to plan our inspections and will be looking carefully at the action plans that providers have developed in response to their local survey results,” concluded Lelliott.
Responding to the report, a Department of Health spokesperson said: “Mental health is a priority for this government and we are determined to transform services so they work best for the patient.
“It's encouraging to see two-thirds of respondents reported a positive experience of overall care, but we know there is still work to be done.
“That’s why we're currently undergoing one of the biggest expansions of mental health services in Europe, spending a record £11.6bn on mental health this year, with a further investment of £1bn by 2020-21.”
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