RCN response to Mental Health Act annual report

Published: 30 January 2013

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today (30 January) responded to the ‘Monitoring the Mental Health Act’ annual report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN said: “It is extremely worrying that mental health services are coming under increasing pressure with fewer specialists, higher bed occupancy and increased workloads. This echoes our own findings from our Frontline First campaign which show mental health trusts across the country are cutting staff. These cuts will undoubtedly have a detrimental effect on levels of care.

“We want to see well trained specialist staff supported with continued investment so that the improvements made over the last ten years do not start to unravel.”
 
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Notes for Editors

1. Recent Frontline First updates reveal that Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has made proposals which could lead to 91 redundancies in community mental health services, and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is undergoing a major pathway restructure which could result in a loss of 628.32 WTE posts by 2016.

2. For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 020 7647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit  http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media

3. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organizations.