Government warned hospital mental health care close to crisis

The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has warned that hospital
mental health services are in ‘a cycle of decline’ with increased
user dissatisfaction and loss of quality staff.

The centre warns the situation in acute care is close to crisis
and some patients are being denied basic human rights.

A new briefing, ‘Adult Acute Inpatient Care Provision for People
with Mental Health Problems’, was published in response to
government guidance on acute mental health provision issued last
month.

The briefing calls for more targeted resources to recruit more
staff and train existing ones, and the introduction of clear
quality standards for trusts to follow.

Andrew McCulloch, the centre’s policy director, said: “Inpatient
mental health care has become a neglected backwater in policy and
profile terms, without clear plans and targets of the type
developed for other parts of the mental health care system.”

Other recommendations contained in the briefing include a
strategy for a more therapeutic approach, and more capital
investment to ensure buildings are refurbished.

For a full copy of the report go to www.scmh.org.uk