BASW England response to announcement of a ‘rapid review’ into mental health inpatient care in England

BASW England welcomes the launch of a ‘rapid review’ into mental health inpatient care in England and urge that this does not become a missed opportunity to champion the provision of adequately funded, good quality, timely community care provision and to champion the rights of people in all care settings.

With the recent events at the Edenfield Field Centre and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation NHS Trust which saw the abuse and neglect of vulnerable people in mental health care settings, BASW England welcomes the launch of an inquiry which will consider “patient safety risks and failures in care”. BASW England hopes that this rapid review will be an opportunity for transparency and accountability and will also include a focus on people who are autistic or have a learning disability and are inpatients in these settings.

We urge the government to look beyond just what is happening in these inpatient settings and consider the barriers to discharge which could see people supported to live independent and fulfilling lives in their own communities.

The struggles faced by a stretched workforce must also be explored in the inquiry and BASW England stand ready to engage and champion the voice of social workers who often play an integral part in safeguarding the rights of people in all care settings.