Levels of compulsory community treatment of mental health
patients are far outstripping government expectations,
figures released by the NHS Information Centre
have shown.
The statistics revealed that 2,134 community treatment orders
were issued in England from November 2008, when they came into
force, to March 2009. The government expected there to be 450
CTOs in England and Wales in the first year.
CTOs allow for detained patients discharged from hospital to
have conditions placed on their treatment in the community, for
instance requiring them to take medication, with those who do not
comply risking a recall to hospital.
Concerns over supply of doctors
The figures will raise further concerns about the availability
of second opinion appointed doctors (SOAD) - psychiatrists whose
role is to determine whether the rights of patients under CTOs have
been safeguarded.
The
CQC, which runs the SOAD service, is currently
looking for experienced psychiatrists to perform the role,
after its predecessor in this capacity,
the Mental Health Act Commission, raised
concerns about the supply of SOADs in March.
In March, just before its functions were transferred to the CQC,
the MHAC warned that there had been delays in processing CTOs
because of the shortage of second opinion doctors.
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