Crisis warning over acute care services

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

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

A new
briefing, Adult Acute In-patient 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: “In-patient 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