A report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has slammed the treatment of autistic people and those with a learning disability in the UK’s mental health services.
The annual Monitoring the Mental Health Act report has highlighted the lack of suitable accommodation within the community.
Unnecessarily detained
The CQC said this has led “to people, particularly autistic people and people with a learning disability, being unnecessarily detained in hospital”.
The report also highlighted the significant number of autistic patients and those with a learning disability being placed far from home, some for years at a time.
The CQC also points to the way many children receiving care have been placed in the wrong settings, such as adult wards or general children’s wards. This added to their distress.
Shocking state of mental health services
The report also highlights the shocking state of mental health services across the UK.
It claims the number of young people waiting for mental health treatment has increased by a staggering 20,000 this year, up from half a million in 2023.
Chris Dzikiti is director of Mental Health at the Care Quality Commission.
He described the situation as a “ticking time bomb” and promised the CQC would work to “mitigate issues of unequal and inappropriate treatment”.
According to Dzikiti, children wait an average of 40 days to access care.
Often, the wait is much longer. Many have reported a deterioration in their mental health while waiting, and some have attempted to take their own life.
Lack of staff increases risks
The CQC’s report was produced following conversations with 4,515 patients and 1,200 carers, as well as people with experience of being detained.
It found a lack of staff is increasing the risk of inappropriate restraint. This was a practice that autistic people and their carers often reported.
Working with the British Institute of Learning Disabilities, the CQC highlighted the impact of staffing shortages. This problem could make it “extremely challenging to deliver personalised high-quality care”.
The CQC recommends a larger, permanent workforce to reduce pressures on overburdened healthcare workers.
It says there should be better community support and consistent funding to help struggling providers.
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Published: 14 July 2024
