CM Mental Health

The Department of Health (DH), NHS England, Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Care Quality Commission and the National Forum of People with Learning Disabilities have issued a statement committing to make the lives of service users with learning disabilities better.

The Children and Family Court Advisory Service (CAFCASS) said last month that there has been a 62% increase in care applications from councils since 2007/08.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a new quality standard to provide more personalised care for people with a learning disability and challenging behaviour.

A social care charity has been fined £70,000 after highly sensitive information about the care of four young children was left outside a London home, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced last month.

Fewer than one in ten small housing associations have a strategy in place to support dementia sufferers or older people. A survey of 88 groups conducted by the Orbit Charitable Trust found only seven had a dementia strategy in place. Two-thirds of small housing associations admitted they did not have a dementia strategy drawn up with a quarter claiming that they did not need one. A further quarter of respondents said a strategy was being developed, while 12 said they had not yet thought about it. Most of the housing groups which responded to the survey said a separate dementia strategy was not necessary because of the size of their organisation. One said it dealt with cases on an individual basis, while another said dementia was dealt with as part of its older people’s strategy. The survey, which follows from Orbit’s research published last year into how housing associations and older people’s organisations can work better together to deliver better services, also found that half of the housing associations questioned do not have an older people’s strategy in place, while 28% do.

Community Care Market News (News) October 1998 Social services are failing to provide proper care and protection for vulnerable children and there...

A new dementia service has been set up to ensure people with the disease can access a joined up support.

Following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) branding mental health crisis care inadequate’ (CCMn February 2014), police, mental health trusts and paramedics have signed a new agreement to drive up standards. The Crisis Care Concordat also aims to cut the number of people with mental health issues detained inappropriately in police cells. It sets out the standards of care people should expect if they suffer a crisis and how services should respond. This includes making sure beds are always available for people who need them urgently rather than using police custody. Furthermore, police vehicles should not be used to transfer patients and mental health services will be encouraged to share essential need-to-know’ information about patients to keep them and the public safe.

Chief executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) David Behan revealed last month that some mental health hospitals have allowed a culture of containment and control to take priority over support and care.

A study by Queen’s University Belfast has found that the dispensing of psychotropic drugs to older people in Northern Ireland increases on entry to care homes.