The Association responds to CQC State of Care in MH Services Report

Following the publication of the CQC report on the State of Care in Mental Health Services 2014 – 2017, Kathy Roberts, Chief Executive of Association of Mental Health Providers commented:

“It is concerning that examples of outdated and sometimes institutionalised care are still being found, where a high number of people are in ‘locked rehabilitation wards’ – often a long way from the patient’s home. Rather than helping a vulnerable individual suffering from mental ill-health, long-stay institutionalisation hinders their recovery and reintegration into the community. Voluntary and community sector mental health service providers can provide vital services to those with mental health conditions in a local, community setting and to address the problems raised in this report, it is essential collaboration between statutory services and the voluntary sector is encouraged.

“The report has also raised issues of problems in long waiting times for specialist treatments, variation in use of physical restraint, and the poor and unsafe conditions of many mental health wards, but as can be noted by the inclusion of our member, Turning Point, as an example of a service provider rated ‘outstanding’, the VCSE sector plays an invaluable role in the delivery of services both nationally and locally so this must be realised to address the challenges faced by the mental health sector.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact Dania Hanif, Policy and Communications Officer, on dania@amhp.org.uk or call 020 7766 7496.

Notes

[1] The State of Care in Mental Health Services 2014 to 2017, Care Quality Commission, July 2017

[2] Turning Point, a member of Association of Mental Health Providers, is a leading health and social care organisation – a social enterprise reinvesting its profits to provide the best services in the right locations for those that need them most across mental health, learning disability, substances misuse and employment.