County’s Mental Health Treatment Gets High Rating From Inspectors

People in Buckinghamshire who need mental health treatment in the community rely on a high standard of service, according to a national survey. The Healthcare Commission, which has a statutory duty to assess the performance of healthcare organisations, recently published its first national review of adult community mental health services. Bucks was one of only nine per cent nationwide to be graded excellent.

The lowest scores on the survey came in the your care review section where 54 per cent of respondents said they had a care review in the last 12 months.

In the support in the community section, 52 per cent of people said they had received information about local support groups in the past 12 months and 46 per cent of people said they had help with finding work in the last 12 months.

In crisis care, 55 per cent of respondents said they had the phone number of someone they could contact out of office hours while the same figure said last time they called the number they got the help they wanted. In the your family or carer section, 45 per cent of respondents said a friend or relative had enough support.

Nationally, the Healthcare Commission said gaps still exist in out-of hours crisis care, talking therapies and the availability of information to service users about their care.