Mental health services survey published today

The survey collected the experiences of over 17,000 people who received care in the 65 NHS mental health trusts in England between July and September 2010.

The vast majority of participants said they:

• were listened to carefully and that they had trust and confidence in the health or social care worker they had seen most recently.
• could contact their care co-ordinator if they had a problem.
• had the contact number of someone from their local mental health service that they could call during out-of-office hours.

The results show however, that there is still room for improvement.

• Less than half of participants ‘definitely’ understood their care plan.
• More than a quarter of participants who were prescribed new medication weren’t told about the possible side-effects.
• Of those participants who had physical health needs, 31% had not received any support, although they would have liked it.
• Forty-seven per cent of participants said their mental health or social care worker had not discussed talking therapy with them in the past 12 months.

Care Approach Programme

The survey also took the views of people who received care under the Care Programme Approach (CPA).

The CPA co-ordinates the care of those with complex mental health needs who require the support of more than one agency.

Forty-two per cent of all participants had received care under the CPA. Of those who felt like they needed extra support with day-to-day living:

• thirty-five per cent said they had not received help with finding or keeping work in the past year.
• twenty-seven per cent said they had received no help with finding or keeping their accommodation.
• twenty-seven per cent said they had not been given any help with financial advice or benefits.