Review finds community services still not complying with guidelines

A review of community mental health services by the U.K.'s Healthcare Commission has found that not all services are meeting Government guidelines. The study of services in 2007-8 found that only 54.7% of users had an out-of-hours contact. Only 59% of users received a copy of their care plan, despite the fact that this is a requirement under the 1999 National Service Framework for Mental Health. Only 45.2% of people with schizophrenia had been offered psychological therapy. Compared to the last survey there were marginal improvements in the proportion of service users who said they had enough of a say in their care and treatment and in decisions about their medication. There was also a big improvement in the proportion of people with schizophrenia receiving an assessment of their work status.

You can download a copy of the Healthcare Commission's report at

http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/_db/_documents/Follow-up_review_adult_specialist_community_mental_health_report.pdf