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Sean Duggan, chief executive of the Mental Health Network, which is part of the NHS Confederation, responded to the CQC’s State of Care report 

“Mental health and learning disability services have made significant strides in recent years but we know there is a huge amount of work still to do, particularly to ensure we can look after everyone who needs support.

“Providers of NHS mental health services face incredible challenges, with extreme workforce pressures and the urgent need for investment in modern, appropriate settings.

“It is clear that more funding needs to reach mental health services, particularly for those with learning disabilities, and it is a testament to the hard work of staff that they have managed to sustain good-quality care under these conditions.

“The increase in Good and Outstanding ratings demonstrates just how hard the mental health sector works to protect our most vulnerable. However, the need for greater, localised access highlights how important third and independent sector partnership working is, particularly with housing providers such as London’s Look Ahead, which is key in keeping people with complex needs cared for in their communities.

“We all want high quality care for everyone who needs it, and we look forward to working with the CQC as it seeks to create a more robust and consistent approach to assessing mental health services.

"This can only be achieved once the huge gaps in workforce are addressed and urgent capital funding is released to improve outdated inpatient services.

“We hope that the government continues to increase its support of the mental health sector and for this to be reflected in the upcoming Budget.”

Read the State of Care 2018/19 summary online and download the full report.