Coronavirus exposed dilapidated mental health wards

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has called for a ring-fenced investment of an additional £3.3 billion to significantly improve mental health facilities at the next Spending Review.

Psychiatrists say the the coronavirus crisis has exposed the danger of years of under-investment in unsafe and not fit-for-purpose mental health buildings, which are now ‘a disaster waiting to happen’.

New research by the college reveals that a third of clinicians in England feel that the quality of mental health buildings has compromised care for patients during the pandemic. It is essential that patients with the virus are isolated away from other patients – but 38 per cent of psychiatrists report that mental health buildings are unsuitable for safely separating patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus.

Aside from coronavirus, analysis published in a new Royal College of Psychiatrists report reveals that trusts are struggling even to complete very high-risk repairs where there is a danger of catastrophic failure of care or serious injury. In 2018/19 almost £13 million worth of outstanding high-risk repairs in mental health and learning disability sites were reported – an increase of over 150 per cent on two years earlier.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is calling for immediate action to reduce the risks posed by a second wave of coronavirus this winter as well as to ensure high-quality and safe mental health services into the future.

Specifically, among other proposed investments, the college is calling for: £376 million (25 per cent) of the Prime Minister’s recently announced £1.5 billion of NHS capital funding for 2020/21 to be ring-fenced for mental health NHS trusts, including the £250 million confirmed funding as a significant and welcome step on the road to eradicating dormitory wards and at least £126 million to support mental health services in the immediate term; a £1 billion building and redevelopment programme to enable 12 major mental health projects to be completed by 2030; £950 million to improve the therapeutic environment of mental health and learning disability/autism inpatient services; and £450 million for new building and redevelopment schemes for community mental health facilities as part of the significant expansion of services outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Covid-19 brutally exposed the years of neglect that left some mental health services struggling to control infection. The Prime Minister’s recent announcement of investment is timely, but we need an urgent and immediate injection of cash to prepare buildings for the next Covid-19 wave – followed by substantial long-term investment. This devastating pandemic presents us with an opportunity to learn and invest to make our mental health facilities the best in the world.”