CQC publishes mental health survey results

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has undertaken a mental health survey which collected the experiences of over 17,000 people who received care in the 65 NHS mental health trusts in England between July and September 2010.

The results of this survey are now available. The vast majority of participants said they:

• were listened to and that they had trust in their health and social care workers.
• could contact their care co-ordinator if they had any problems with their care.
• were given an out-of-office contact number for emergencies.

The results show however, that there is still room for improvement.

• Less than half of participants understood their care plan.
• More than a quarter of participants weren’t told about the possible side-effects of taking their medication.
• Thirty-one per cent of participants had not received any support for their physical health needs, although they would have liked it.
• Forty-seven per cent of participants said their mental health or social care worker had not discussed talking therapy with them in the past 12 months.

The survey also took the views of people who received care under the Care Programme Approach (CPA).

The CPA provides services for people who have complex mental health needs and who require the support of more than one agency.

Forty-two per cent of all participants had received care under the CPA, and of those who felt like they needed extra support with day-to-day living:

• Thirty-five per cent said they had not received help with finding or keeping work in the past year.
• Twenty-seven per cent said they had received no help with finding or keeping their accommodation.
• Twenty-seven per cent said they had not been given any help with financial advice or benefits.