Mental health survey findings published
24 September 2009
Our survey of people’s experiences of acute mental health inpatient services reveals that too great a proportion felt let down in some important aspects of the care they received
The survey of people who had recently had an inpatient stay for acute mental health problems was the first of its kind and collected responses from over 7,500 people. We asked people about their experiences of acute inpatient mental health services along the pathway from admission to leaving hospital, and specifically asked them about:
- the care and treatment they received.
- the day-to-day activities.
- their relationships with staff.
The survey findings showed that:
- only a third of respondents felt as involved in decisions about their care and treatment as much as they wanted to be.
- less than half (45%) ‘always’ felt safe on the ward, and 16% did not feel safe at all.
- 35% said there was a lack of activities available on weekdays, and over half the respondents (54%) felt this was the case for weekends and evenings.
- less than half of the 52% who wanted talking therapies (such as counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and anxiety management) received any.
- 27% of patients detained under the Mental Health Act felt they did not have their rights clearly explained to them.
- 86% of respondents reported having physical health checks in hospital - but only 44% of those felt that these physical health problems were ‘definitely’ taken care of.
- almost half (48%) of patients said the potential side effects of medicines that were prescribed to them while in hospital were not clearly explained to them.
CQC chair, Barbara Young said: “As the care services regulator, we have pledged to ensure that the voices of everyone who uses care services are heard. This survey shows us that there is considerable room for improvement in patients’ experiences of acute inpatient mental health services, and that there remains a particular need to ensure that services are focused on meeting the needs of people as individuals.
“It is not acceptable for people to feel unsafe in hospital or for them not to be to given basic information about their care and treatment. We will be writing to all the trusts covered by the survey to underline the findings, and we will continue to push for improvement through our assessment and registration systems.”
Related information
More information about our 2009 survey of mental health acute inpatient services
Download surveys in our publications library
Read our press release for more information about the survey findings
