Mind responds to CQC’s State of Care report

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today published its annual State of Care report, looking at health and social care’s performance, quality and challenges.

Key findings included:

• A lack of resources, workforce shortages, ageing estates and poorly designed facilities are affecting the safety of inpatient wards

• 1 in 5 children and young people between the ages of 8 and 25 were estimated to have a mental health disorder

• Wards that were not clean, with food on floors, ripped furniture and a failure to ensure appropriate hygiene in food preparation areas. In some cases, wards were closed due to the environments being unsafe

• On one inspection, a seclusion room was found with no natural light and intercom facilities that did not work, which made it difficult for patients to communicate with staff

• Difficulty accessing services are often made worse by deprivation: in 2023/24, attendance rates for urgent and emergency care for people living in the most deprived areas of England were nearly double those for people in the least deprived areas

• People from deprived areas were three times more likely to access services for mental health than those in more affluent areas

• Racial disparities – about a third of Black men felt they had to wait for too long to get help with their mental health, and had longer stays in hospital than white men

• While the mental health workforce has grown, persistent problems with staffing and skill level remain

• Across the country, services are facing challenges with recruitment, impacting capacity and the availability and regularity of appointments.

“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 This means more people are reaching crisis point, and if there is a bed free locally, they are detained under an outdated Mental Health Act in hospitals that are often run-down and not fit for purpose.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is being impacted – they are more likely to spend longer in hospital and are subject to greater restriction under the outdated Mental Health Act.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.”