New HSSIB report highlights urgent need to improve crisis care for people with mental illness, says RCPsych

The Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) has published Mental health crisis care: care of patients in emergency departments. The report highlights substantial variation in care provided to people experiencing a mental health crisis and makes the recommendation to improve the physical environment of emergency departments, service configuration and the capacity of services to respond. 

In response to this report, Dr Alex Thomson, Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Faculty of Liaison Psychiatry said:

“We thank HSSIB for their work on this report and the College particularly appreciates the engagement with its members, people with lived experience and other professional stakeholders in its development. This report highlights the unacceptable experiences that too many people face when they attend emergency departments during a mental health crisis. The experiences described will unfortunately be familiar to many mental health professionals. This report is a call to action for all organisations to work together to improve the experience of care.  

"Emergency departments play an important role in assessing and supporting people in mental health crisis, particularly where there are concerns about physical health or immediate safety. We need a wider range of high-quality crisis services, alongside stronger collaboration between mental health services, emergency departments, and community care so that people can access the right support at the right time. 

"No one experiencing a mental health crisis should be left waiting for prolonged periods without appropriate care. Addressing these challenges will require sustained investment, workforce growth, and closer partnership working across health and other relevant services. 

"We welcome HSSIB's focus on improving care and reducing variation and we look forward to working with partners across the health system to ensure people experiencing mental health crisis receive safe, effective, and compassionate support whenever and wherever they need it."