8,000 serious incidents reported at mental health trusts in 2015

Figures obtained by a freedom of information (FoI) request, submitted by the Liberal Democrats, has revealed over 8,000 serious incidents were reported by mental health trusts in England last year, a 33 per cent increase since 2013.

The data found that there were 8,139 serious incidents recorded by the 58 mental health trusts in England during the 2014-15 period. The number is a significant increase from the 6,074 figure in 2012-13 and 7,345 in 2013-14.

A ‘serious incident’ is flagged when a particular action means the consequence for patients and staff are significant enough to warrant an investigation.

The FoI data also revealed that the number of unexpected deaths and suicides had also risen. Of the 8,139 serious incidents there were 1,714 unexpected deaths, including 751 suicides in 2014-15, a 20 per cent increase compared to 2012-13.

Serious incident investigations are triggered by events that could undermine public confidence in an organisation’s ability to deliver acceptable health care services, such as security concerns or the misuse of the information.

Norman Lamb, a former health minister in the coalition government, said: "These findings raise really serious concerns. I believe they should trigger a full investigation by the government and by NHS England.

"On the face of it, they show a dramatic rise in unexpected deaths and suicides - at a time when real terms funding provided by commissioning groups has gone down."

An NHS England spokesperson said: "Reporting of incidents is intentionally up right across the NHS, including mental health, as part of our national effort to encourage transparency and a culture of learning.

"That's the lesson from the airlines - openness is a precondition for safety and improvement. That's as true for mental health services as it is for maternity care or surgical operations."

Stephen Dalton, chief executive of the Mental Health Network, said: "We all need to make sure more people feel able to talk about mental health problems openly and get access to the support they need by reducing the stigma that surrounds mental illness."