Friday 07 Dec 2007 @ 15:23
Care Quality Commission
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Rates Of Admission And Detention Remain High For Some Black And Minority Groups Using Mental Health And Learning Disability Services

 A multi-agency response is required to address the needs of service users
 
The findings from a census of the ethnicity of inpatients in mental health and learning disability services were published yesterday (Thursday).
 
The figures continue to show that some black and minority ethnic groups are three or more times more likely than average to be admitted as inpatients in mental health and learning disability services.
 
The report notes that research has shown some ethnic groups have significantly higher rates of mental illness. Differences in rates of mental illness and pathways to hospital admission are caused by numerous and complex factors such as socio-economic factors, living alone and family and social support.
 
The census report stresses that agencies must work together to prevent and better manage mental illness in black and minority ethnic groups. This will require a multi-agency response not just from service providers, but also from other agencies such as GPs, local authorities and the criminal justice system.
 
The census also shows that 68% of mental health inpatients are in mixed-sex wards, presenting issues of privacy, dignity and safety for people with a mental illness.
 
The Count Me In Census 2007 was a joint initiative by the Healthcare
Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC) and the National
Institute for Mental Health in England (NIHME). It is one of the three key building blocks of the government’s five-year action plan, Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care.
 
The census aimed to provide accurate figures on the numbers of inpatients
in mental health and learning disability services in England and Wales on one day and to encourage service providers to collect and monitor data on all ethnic groups of patients.
 
The census was conducted on March 30 this year. It collected information on:
 
·     31,187 inpatients in mental health wards at 257 NHS and independent healthcare organisations in England and Wales. The proportion of inpatients in independent mental health hospitals increased from 10% in 2005 to 14% in
2007.
 
·     4,153 inpatients in 120 organisations providing services for those with learning disabilities in England and Wales.
 
The report stresses that without accurate data the quality of care and treatment of black and minority ethnic patients cannot be monitored. It makes recommendations to the Department of Health and the Information Centre to improve the information available about patients from all ethnic backgrounds, including those in independent healthcare organisations. This will make for comparable information about patients across the NHS and independent sectors.
 
The report also says that all organisations must continue to improve the recording of the ethnicity of their patients.
 
Anna Walker, chief executive of the Healthcare Commission, said:
"We need better information about patients in independent mental health services if we are to monitor quality of care, particularly at a time when the number of patients in independent services is rising.
 
“We would like a dialogue with local agencies and with mental health and learning disability organisations that have high numbers of black and minority ethnic patients, such as those in London, Leeds and Birmingham.
 
These organisations know the challenges that are faced in delivering care to patients of different ethnic backgrounds. With their knowledge, we can begin to look at the problems within the communities and bring together local agencies to tackle the issues that cause some black and minority ethnic groups to have higher rates of mental illness. We need to be looking at prevention and better access to services in the community, not just admission to hospital when people become seriously ill.”
 
Professor Lord Patel of Bradford, MHAC Chairman, said:
 
“The Census demonstrated why it had been necessary to fight so hard for the DRE programme. Delivering Race Equality in mental health services remains an essential corner stone of the government’s programme to eradicate racial inequality and to provide culturally relevant services” he said, adding, “
 
I am deeply concerned about the continued high levels of admission detention suffered by some Black groups especially the Black Other group – mostly Black second and third generation young men. There are some very serious questions that need answering about the way these people are being treated”.
 
Dr Ian McPherson Director of the National Institute for Mental Health in
England (NIMHE) said:
 
“These findings highlight the reason why the Delivering Race Equality Programme remains central to NIMHE’s work with mental health commissioners and providers from all agencies. Through this we are seeing encouraging developments in services that aim to improve the experience of people from BME communities, but the continuing high level of representation of some groups in inpatient care shows that much more needs to be done.”
 
Notes to editors:
  1. The Healthcare Commission is the health watchdog in England. It keeps check on health services to ensure that they are meeting standards in a range of areas. The Commission also promotes improvements in the quality of healthcare and public health in England through independent, authoritative, patient-centred assessments of those who provide services. Responsibility for inspection and investigation of NHS bodies and the independent sector in Wales rests with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW). The Healthcare Commission has certain statutory functions in Wales which include producing an annual report on the state of healthcare in England and Wales, national improvement reviews in England and Wales, and working with HIW to ensure that relevant cross-border issues are managed effectively.
  2. The Mental Health Act Commission is responsible for monitoring the operation of the Mental Health Act as it relates to detained patients and to meet with and interview detained patients in private. It also runs the second opinion appointed doctor service.
  3. The National Institute for Mental Health in England supports positive changes in services and in the wellbeing of people with mental health problems. It is part of the Care Services Improvement Partnership, a new organisation that helps to improve services and achieve better outcomes for children and families, adults and older people including those with mental health problems, physical or learning disabilities, or people in the criminal justice system.
  4. In 2005, 78% of mental health inpatients were on mixed-sex wards. The figure dropped to 55% in 2006. However these figures are not comparable as the definition has changed in the census each year.
 
For further information contact the press office on 0207 448 0868, or on 07779 990845 after hours.
 

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