Mind responds to CQC Annual Community Mental Health Survey findings
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released its latest annual community mental health survey. The polling of more than 12,000 people who accessed community mental health services, has found that:
- Around a third (32%) of people who reached out in crisis say they did not get the help they needed, with nearly half of respondents (45%) reporting that their families or carers received no information or support while they were in crisis.
- Nearly a quarter (23%) of people were either not involved in or were not aware of a plan for their care and one in five (22%) did not feel supported to make decisions about their care and treatment.
- Almost half (46%) of children and young people waited 3 months or more for their first appointment for treatment, with over half (54%) receiving no support during this wait.
Tom Pollard, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns, said:
“The challenges these findings highlight will come as no surprise to people living with mental health problems, or to the staff bearing witness to the human cost of a fractured system every day.
“The situation is particularly stark for children and young people, with many waiting far too long for an initial appointment and not receiving any support during this time. Crisis care should never be the point at which someone first accesses mental health support. But that is the reality for many people right now, because accessible, trauma‑informed support embedded in the places people live often simply isn’t available.
“It’s positive to see improvements, including in people’s experiences of feeling listened to, having enough time in appointments with professionals, and being treated with care and compassion. These gains matter, and they reflect the dedication of frontline staff working under immense pressure. But the picture for consistent, ongoing support remains troubling, as evidenced throughout the report. Many people say they were not involved, or even aware of, a plan for their care, and others did not feel supported to make decisions about their treatment. This lack of involvement and choice makes it harder for people to stay well and increases pressure on services later down the line.
“These issues reflect the sustained political deprioritisation of mental health. Funding for mental health services has continued to fall relative to need for the third-year running, and that imbalance is inevitably felt in people’s experiences of care.”
