The CQC has said that community mental healthcare must improve, after a survey of patients highlighted failings in the services.
The CQC has said that community mental healthcare must improve, after a survey of patients highlighted failings in the services.
The survey, which had more than 13,500 respondents, showed that one in five people did not feel they had seen staff from the mental health services often enough to meet their needs; 23 per cent had not been told who was in charge of their care; 23 per cent had not agreed with someone from mental health services what care they would receive and 26 per cent of respondents had not had a formal meeting to discuss how their care worked in the past year. It also revealed that 32 per cent of people did not know who to contact out of hours if they had a crisis. Where people did know who to contact and contacted them, 20 per cent of respondents did not receive the help they needed.
Dr Paul Lelliott, the CQC's lead for mental health, said: 'It is clear from this survey that many people do not feel well-served by community mental health services. Leaders and staff from mental health trusts should reflect on what they could do differently and better to ensure people are engaged effectively and involved in their care, and take action to ensure that people get the help and support they need.'