Mind comments on Healthcare Commission report

Posted Sunday 11 September 2005

Today Mind's Chief Executive Richard Brook said:

"Mind welcomes any indication that mental health service users are experiencing an improved level of care, but this report shows that there remain significant areas for concern.

"Most worrying is the lack of information on mental health inpatient experiences. They did not get the chance to contribute to the Healthcare Commission's general patient survey, and again in this report there is minimal coverage. Points made are limited to the number of times people had been admitted to hospital and how much information they were given on arrival - and worryingly, one in four of those who had been sectioned did not have their rights explained to them.

"Only 40 per cent of people surveyed had access to 'talking therapies' - despite NICE guidelines (2004) which suggested that psychological therapies work as well as drug treatments without the side effects. Over half (59 per cent) of people on the standard care programme approach (CPA) had not been offered a written copy of their care plan, undermining the entire purpose. And 20 per cent of people still feel that they were not treated with dignity and respect by their health professionals. 

This is simply not an acceptable level of service from the NHS to people with mental health problems."

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