CQC Interim Report post image

The publication of the CQC Interim Report: Review of restraint, prolonged seclusion and segregation for people with a mental health problem, a learning disability and/or autism, is very timely in Thurrock as we plan to discuss this at a forthcoming meeting, and will encourage discussion and reflection. The interim report will be of interest to professionals in the public or provider sector who work with adults with care and support needs.

 

“Our preliminary findings

What we found on our visits:

  • Many people we visited had been communicating their distress and needs in a way that people may find challenging since childhood, and services were unable to meet their needs.
  • A high proportion of people in segregation had autism.
  • Some of the wards did not have a built environment that was suitable for people with autism.
  • Many staff lacked the necessary training and skills.
  • Several people that we have visited were not receiving high quality care and treatment.
  • In the case of 26 of the 39 people, staff had stopped attempting to reintegrate them back onto the main ward. This was usually because of concerns about violence and aggression.
  • Some people were experiencing delayed discharge from hospital, and so prolonged time in segregation, due to there being no suitable package of care available in a non-hospital setting.

 

The interim report focuses exclusively on the experience of those people cared for in segregation on a mental health ward for children and young people or on a ward for people with a learning disability or autism. It makes a number of recommendations for the health and care system, including CQC.”

The full report can be downloaded from the CQC website at https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/themed-work/interim-report-review-restraint-prolonged-seclusion-segregation-people