Vulnerable patients with mental health conditions are being ‘badly let down by the NHS’, causing them and their families ‘needless suffering and distress’, a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report, Maintaining momentum; driving improvements in mental healthcare, published in March, suggests.
The Ombudsman also found that NHS mental healthcare staff ‘can lack the capacity, skills, and training, to do their job effectively, and do not always have the support they need to learn from mistakes’.
Following an analysis of over 200 mental health complaints upheld by the Ombudsman, the report highlights five ‘common failings that are compromising patients’ safety and dignity':
- Failure to diagnose and/or treat the patient: One investigation found a woman was treated with anti-psychotic drugs for a psychotic episode but had a lifethreatening reaction to them. ‘Her physical symptoms were dismissed and tragically she died’.
- Inappropriate hospital discharge and aftercare. In another case, a young man with a complex history of mental health problems died from a drug overdose after being discharged from the local community mental health service, without a care plan in place.
- Poor risk assessment and safety practices: a young person suffering from bipolar disorder and on the autism spectrum was physically assaulted by another patient in a residential home, ‘causing immense fear and distress’. A risk assessment was not undertaken
- Not treating patients with dignity and/or infringing human rights. Another investigation found that a woman suffering from a psychotic episode was not given sanitary products while menstruating, and was forced to use a plastic cup.
- Poor communication with the patient and/or their family or carers: The report tells how a woman with a history of bipolar disorder had her newborn baby taken from her ‘unnecessarily and without explanation’, causing her ‘immense distress’.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Rob Behrens, said: “This report shows the harrowing impact that failings in mental healthcare can have on patients and their families. Too many patients are not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, and this is further compounded by poor complaint handling.”