Our response to the CQC's Community Mental Health Survey
Hospitals and community mental health teams must work together to ensure people are involved in their discharge planning and get the care and support they are entitled to in the community. Only then can we stop people falling through the gaps in services.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published the findings of their annual Community Mental Health Survey. This survey has assessed people’s experiences of the care and support they receive from community mental health services run by NHS trusts in England, such as in clinics and in their own homes for conditions ranging from mild depression to psychosis.
The survey asks for their views on aspects of their care, such as whether they felt they were treated with dignity and respect and on whether they felt involved in decisions about their care.
The survey found that while around two-thirds of respondents reported a positive experience of overall care, substantial concerns remain about the quality of care some people experience when using community mental health services.
The survey results suggest that there are a number of areas that require further improvement including: crisis care, access and coordination of care, involvement in care, monitoring the effects of medication and receiving additional support.
Responding to the CQC’s Community Mental Health Survey published today, our Chief Executive, Katherine Rake, said:
“Nationally our findings echo those of the CQC’s. In July, our report “Safely Home” on unsafe discharge found that far too many people are slipping through the gaps between healthcare and community mental health services, while over a third of our network have identified mental health services as a problem area.
“People we spoke to did not feel sufficiently involved in the planning of their discharge from healthcare settings and subsequent follow-up care. Many were sent home from mental health settings too early, only to receive poor community care and a lack of crisis support when they needed it the most.
“The consequences can be devastating; we’ve heard of people contacting out-of-hours crisis lines only to receive no response or being told to call back later. In some cases, people have tragically taken their own lives because insufficient care or support was offered upon discharge.
“Hospitals and community mental health teams must work together to ensure people are involved in their discharge planning and get the care and support they are entitled to in the community. Only then can we stop people falling through the gaps in services.”
