The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) Out of Sight progress update from October 2020 outlines worrying lack of improvement on use of restraint, segregation and seclusion in mental health settings.
The update shows little uptake of the 17 recommendations made by the CQC in the hopes to improve restictive practices for people with mental health problems, learning disability and autism. This intervention has not been fully successful, as only 4 of the 17 recommendations have ever been partially met. No recommendation has been fully met. In fact, there has been an increase in the number of long term segregations since the original report in 2018.
“We are incredibly disappointed, but unsurprised, that there has been little in the way of improvement when it comes to the use of dangerous and humiliating practices such as restraint, segregation, and isolation in mental health settings. The CQC’s findings present a sadly familiar picture of a system under huge pressure, one that is failing to give people the support and care they need. As pressures on NHS crisis care have risen, and early intervention has dropped, it was inevitable that mental health settings would be dealing with more people experiencing more complex and severe problems. Patients experiencing these type of problems need and expect care and compassion, not coercive measures such as restraint, segregation and isolation.
Rheian Davies mentions life changing harm to patients as a result of use of force in mental health settings, especially trauma following unfair treatment.
“The UK Government must immediately give mental health services and their workforces the funding they need to reduce restraint, segregation, and isolation through earlier support for at-risk patients and expansion of community mental health services. They must also progress reform of the Mental Health Act, which will give further opportunities to reduce restrictive, discriminatory practices.
Seni's Law, which came into force this year, aims to protect patients and reduce the harm caused by restraint, segregation and seclusion by clinical staff and police, through staff training, increase in the data recorded by mental helath units and other measures.
To update your knowledge on national developments including the recommendations Out of Sight, Who Cares, the CQC October 2020 review of restraint, seclusion and segregation for autistic people, and people with a learning disability and/or mental health condition, join our Managing Challenging, Aggressive and Violent Behaviour conference.
Our conference, chaired by Eric Baskind, Consultant and expert witness in the use of force and physical interventions and Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University, will enable you to learn from outstanding practice as recognized by CQC in reducing restrictive interventions and improve your skills in the anticipation, de-escalation and prevention of violence and aggression.
To read more about the CQC's Out of Sight progress update, visit mind.org.uk. To read more about our conference and to book, please click here.