Dr Paul Lelliott, Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals, welcomes the Five Year Strategy for Mental Health

16 Feb 2016 12:02 PM

Dr Paul Lelliott, Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (lead for mental health) has welcomed the publication of the independent Mental Health Taskforce's Mental Health Taskforce's Five Year Forward View for Mental Health.

Speaking on the publication of the report, Dr Lelliot said:

"Our inspections of mental health care services are continuing to tell us that there is too much variation in quality and safety.

“This is why we support the Five Year Strategy for Mental Health, which sets out how the system could be redesigned to meet the changing needs of patients and to make the best use of resources. We are clear that people must be at the heart of these plans.

"As the regulator of health and social care, our role is to use our inspections and what people tell us, to identify what is working well and why, and what does not work. We want this to drive improvement, with providers learning from the services that we rate as good and outstanding.

“We are currently seeking views on our own strategy for the future of regulation, which amongst other proposals, explores how CQC could produce a single view of quality across an area rather than just of individual services to determine whether the needs of people are being met. This is particularly important for those with mental health problems as they will often be seen by multiple parts of the health and social care system.

“The Taskforce report marks a significant opportunity to transform how people with mental health concerns experience and access the services they need. We look forward to playing out part in its delivery.”