Fifth of mental health patients don’t feel safe in NHS care

A new survey has revealed that one in five people did not feel safe while in the care of the NHS mental health service that treated them.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman research shows that more than half of people with mental health problems in England also said they experienced delays to their treatment, while 42 per cent said that they waited too long to be diagnosed.

Despite the concerns raised by patients about their treatment in the survey, including having to wait over six months to be referred to a specialist mental health team, 48 per cent said they would be unlikely to complain if they were unhappy with the service provided. Almost 70 per cent of people said they had not been told how to complain by NHS staff.

Furthermore, 32 per cent said they did not think their complaint would be taken seriously while a quarter were worried complaining would affect how they were treated. The main reason given was that they would not want ‘to cause trouble’.

Ombudsman Rob Behrens said: “It’s unacceptable that so many patients requiring mental health treatment are left feeling unsafe in the NHS but this survey supports what we see too frequently in our casework. Patients must be supported to speak up when mistakes happen and not left scared that their treatment will be affected if they do so. While the NHS in England must continue to implement its Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, it should also look now at what more is needed to transform mental health services so the people who need them get the care they deserve.’”

Sean Duggan, chief executive of the Mental Health Network, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said: “Stretched staff work tirelessly to give the best possible care, and to give service users a voice, but this report shows clearly we still need to make significant progress. The vision set out in the NHS Long Term Plan will help, but we need renewed support from government to recruit and retain the right number of people, to ensure facilities are safe and up-to-date and that legislation is appropriate.
 
“The return of the maintenance grant for student nurses is positive and the forthcoming People Plan must also have solutions to increase the supply and help us to better retain our staff. Mental health facilities, which are among the worst across the system, were underrepresented in the government’s capital investment plans and that needs to be put right. We also await the promised legislation to modernise the Mental Health Act which will make a big difference to ensuring that those who have reached the point of crisis receive the care they need."