Unexpected deaths of mental health patients ‘needs public investigation’

By The Press Association5th January 2016News EnglandCare Standards, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health, News England, NHS

A national public investigation is “now needed” into the unexpected deaths of mental health and learning disability patients, Labour has argued.

Shadow minister for mental health Luciana Berger told MPs there were “widely held concerns” that the experience of Southern Health was “not isolated”.

Speaking during Commons health questions, she said: “The report on the appalling failures at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust highlighted that over 1,000 unexpected deaths of mental health and learning disability patients, many of those taking place outside of hospital, have not been investigated.

“Given the Health Secretary did not allow this House the opportunity to scrutinise these findings before Christmas, will he today respond and will the minister respond to widely held concerns that the experience of this trust is not isolated and will he agree with me that a national public investigation is now needed.”

Responding, minister for community and social care Alistair Burt said work was being done by the Government and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was looking at the national picture.

He said: “She is quite right and as my right honourable friend (Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt) said in relation to that particular UQ (Urgent Question) this is a wider concern, that’s why CQC is looking nationally at the picture on what has happened because these deaths have not been investigated appropriately in the past, that is something that must change.

“So along with this Government’s determination to change a range of things in relation to mental health and learning disabilities, this is one area forgotten too long which has now been brought to light and work is being done by this Government.”