Norfolk campaigner calls for more mental health responders and community hubs
The Government is being urged to launch a public inquiry into "systematic failings" in mental health hospitals
Last updated 20th Jun 2023
A campaigner from Norfolk is calling for the Government to bring in more mental health responders - and create more community hubs.
Nick Fulcher, from near Diss, lost his 81 year old mother in law in 2019, when she died as she was being transferred to Norfolk from Somerset.
A corner found that Peggy Copeman was neglected by a private ambulance company, which contributed to her death.
"Systematic failings"
It comes as the Government is being urged to launch a public inquiry into "systematic failings" in mental health hospitals.
Mental health charity Mind has launched its Raise the Standard campaign, which is calling for "immediate political action" to improve medical facilities specialising in mental health.
It comes after an online YouGov survey of 2,014 adults in Britain, conducted on behalf of Mind, found 35% of people do not have confidence that a loved one would be safe in hospital mental healthcare.
Of the total, 32% said they are not confident the facilities would treat their loved one with respect.
Some 68% also said they thought the Government should be doing more to protect patients from unsafe care.
"Full public statutory inquiry" is the "first step"
Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind, said:
"One case of abuse, neglect or unsafe care is too many, people are suffering because of the shocking state of care in mental health hospitals. People should go to hospital to get well, not to endure harm. This is wholly unacceptable and must be addressed urgently.
"Families are being let down by a system that's supposed to protect their loved ones when they are at their most unwell. Patients' human rights are being violated as they are left to cope on run-down, understaffed wards, wrongly restrained and put in seclusion. The consequences can be and have been fatal.
"Too many people are bearing the brunt of the crisis in mental health services, as decades of underfunding take their toll. It is clear these failings are systemic.
"Mental health hospitals are at breaking point, public trust has been decimated, and we need immediate political action. But it does not have to be this way - good mental health hospitals do exist, but proper care must be available across the board.
"Politicians must not stand by and allow one more person to go through this suffering. They owe it to every family that is picking up the pieces of a broken system."
According to Mind, more than 24,000 adults and 1,200 children are inpatients in mental health hospitals in England.
"We are improving mental health services across the country"
Minister for mental health, Maria Caulfield, said:
"This government is clear that anyone receiving treatment in an inpatient mental health facility should receive safe, high-quality and compassionate care and expect to be treated with dignity and respect.
"We are improving mental health services across the country and will shortly publish the findings from an independent rapid review that focuses on improving the way we use data and evidence - including complaints, feedback and whistleblowing alerts - to identify patient safety risks and failures in care.
"An extra £2.3 billion a year by March 2024 is being used to expand and transform mental health services in England - treating an additional two million more people - and we are funding over 160 schemes to provide urgent care in more appropriate spaces, including crisis cafes, crisis houses, and mental health urgent care centres."