Mental health patients let down by NHS

12 Jan 06
Psychiatric wards are failing mental health patients, an NHS watchdog has said.

13 January 2006

Psychiatric wards are failing mental health patients, an NHS watchdog has said.

In a report on January 11, the Mental Health Act Commission said there was intense pressure on beds, understaffing and a resulting lack of basic treatment and care.

Chris Heginbotham, commission chief executive, said: 'Commissioners find serious abuses of the rights of patients every week — which in 2006 is simply inexcusable.'

The commission's report, In place of fear?, is based on its visits to detained psychiatric patients in England and Wales between 2003 and 2005.

It spotlights the risk to specialist services posed by the 'devolution of commissioning' to primary care trusts, and the 'vulnerability of mental health services generally as NHS trusts face financial crises'.

PFjan2006

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