CQC release report monitoring the Mental Health Act

The CQC have released their annual report on the use of the Mental Health Act (MHA). It looks at how providers are caring for patients, and whether patient’s rights are being protected.

The Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) is the legal framework that provides authority for hospitals to detain and treat people who have a serious mental disorder and who are putting at risk their health or safety, or the safety of other people.

There are 57 NHS trusts and 161 independent hospitals that provide mental health care for people under the MHA in England. The CQC carried out 1,349 monitoring visits, and met with 4,282 patients in order to produce their annual report. 

Throughout their monitoring visits and inspections, they saw many examples of good practice. However, they concluded that good care is not consistent across the country and found little or no improvement in some areas that directly affect patients, their families and carers. Overall, they require more than 6,800 actions from providers to improve practice as a result of their monitoring visits.

View the full report here.