Right here, right now: Mental health crisis care review

Attitudes to mental health are changing fast. In the last four years it is estimated that two million people have developed a more positive attitude towards mental illness. But there is still a long way to go until a person experiencing a mental health crisis receives the same response as someone with a physical health emergency.

In this report, we review the quality, safety and effectiveness of care provided to those experiencing a mental health crisis. We have put people at the heart of the issue and sought to understand whether people were being offered the right care, at the right time, and if they were being given the information they needed, as well as what they felt about the attitudes of those providing help, care and support.

Our findings show that there are clear variations in the help, care and support available to people in crisis and that a person’s experience depends not only on where they live, but what part of the system they come into contact with.

We asked people to share their experiences with us. What they told us presents a challenge for everyone responsible for ensuring people in crisis receive the best possible help, care and support. Commissioners, providers and those delivering services must all recognise the role they have to play in providing the right kind of services and making sure that they are accessible at the times when people need them.

What this means for...

Some of the report's findings