Steep rise in complaints about NHS mental health services, figures reveal
There has been a steep rise in the number of complaints made about NHS mental health services, figures suggest.
Formal complaints about mental health services in England jumped from 9,180 in 2010/11 to 14,103 in 2015/16, according to analysis of NHS Digital data conducted by Labour’s Luciana Berger.
This represents a 54% rise in complaints in just five years.
Ms Berger, who is the president of Labour’s Campaign for Mental Health, said the figures have risen year on year.
“It is staggering to think that more than 1,000 patients every month feel they have been treated so poorly by mental health services that they are compelled to go through the lengthy and inconvenient process of raising a formal complaint,” the MP said.
“Jeremy Hunt is presiding over a system where vulnerable people experiencing mental illness are having to battle at every turn just to get adequate care, if they get any at all.
“The Government must urgently address these dismal findings and start matching its warm commitments to mental health with demonstrable action to improve services.”
Brian Dow, director of external affairs at the charity Rethink Mental Illness, said: “The rhetoric from across the NHS around improving mental health services is better than ever before.
“However, what these figures show is that in the face of years of funding cuts, many people still find the reality of actually getting help is incredibly difficult.
“The gap between what people have come to expect and what they actually experience could be what is driving (a) record number of complaints.
“These complaints are worrying but if dealt with correctly, they could also present an opportunity for services.
“Listening and taking on board the experiences of people accessing mental health care is incredibly important for understanding the type and level of care expected, and may also help to direct and drive the changes that are urgently needed to close the gap between rhetoric and reality.”
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “We want our NHS to be world leading which is why, in the wake of Mid Staffs, a much stronger focus has been put on making sure complaints are recorded and dealt with properly, explaining these figures – to suggest the service is not improving demeans the hard work of staff.
“Now, the NHS is listening to patients to help prevent mistakes from reoccurring, hospitals are legally obliged to apologise when things go wrong and complaints handling is a crucial element of tougher hospital inspections, coupled with extra investment in mental health liaison services.”
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