The Healthcare Commission has this week (October 30) published its annual State of Healthcare Report which focuses for the first time on the experience of patients.
The report provides the most comprehensive review to date of the state of healthcare in England and Wales.
Although the review reports rising standards in healthcare across England and Wales, it also outlines a number of key areas of concern, which include mental health services and patient safety.
The Commission has criticised standards of care, safety and access to treatment in mental health services across England and Wales. It describes overcrowding and violence on mental health wards, claiming that around one in three inpatients have experienced violent or threatening behaviour from staff or other patients. Other areas of concern highlighted include poor joint working across health and social care and inadequate access to talking therapies.
To view the report in full go to: www.healthcarecommission.org.uk