Government Set To Review Mental Health Patient Safety

The government has ordered an urgent investigation into the safety of patients in mental health wards in England, after repeated warnings of a crisis in the system.

- Andy Gregory, Rebecca Thomas

Mental health minister Maria Caulfield announced the "rapid review" yesterday, calling it "an essential first step in improving safety in mental health inpatient settings".

The probe will focus on how the information provided by patients and families can be used "more effectively to identify patient safety risks and failures in care", Ms Caulfield said in a written statement to parliament.

The review will be chaired by Dr Geraldine Strathdee, who is already leading an inquiry into deaths spanning two decades in mental health wards in Essex. That inquiry's work will continue alongside - and be complemented by the rapid review, Ms Caulfield said.

An investigation by The Independent last month revealed a systemic and fatal failure to provide basic physical care on NHS mental health wards - despite more than 50 warnings from coroners over the past decade, involving 26 NHS trusts and private healthcare providers.

Those cases included deaths caused by malnutrition, lack of exercise, and starvation in patients detained in mental health facilities, while a new report warned that a fifth of patients in such units is not receiving basic physical healthcare checks upon admission.