Francis, Berwick and culture change – an opportunity to engage patients and increase transparency in mental health
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-10-2013-0034 |
| Published date | 05 March 2014 |
| Date | 05 March 2014 |
| Pages | 13-16 |
| Author | Sophie Corlett |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Social inclusion |
Francis, Berwick and culture change – an
opportunity to engage patients and
increase transparency in mental health
Sophie Corlett
Sophie Corlett is the Director
of External Relations, based
at Mind, London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose – The Policy Watch series reflects on recent and forthcoming developments in mental health
policy across the UK. The purpose of this paper is to review recent developments in mental health policy,
specifically the implications and learning for mental health services of recent scandals such as Mid Staffordshire
and Winterbourne View and the various responses to them.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews and summarises recent developments in national
mental health policy in England and their implications for mental health service provision.
Findings – The paper outlines how learning from recent scandals such as Mid Staffordshire and Winterbourne
View can be applied in mental health services.
Originality/value – The paper updates and discusses recent policy developments in the NHS and their
implications for mental health services.
Keywords Mental health, Culture change, Berwick, Francis, Patient involvement
Paper type Viewpoint
The NHS is rightly one of themost cherished institutions in Britain, with approval ratings politicians
can only dream of. Yet recent shocking cases of abuse and neglect have seen people denied
dignity, respectand even their mostbasic human rights.Mid Staffordshire, WinterbourneView and
Morecombe Bay have grabbed the headlines, but there has been a wider sense that something in
the culture of some NHS services has gone very wrong, with some services losing sight of their
basic duty to provide safe and effective care.
Much of the debate has focused on the acute settings in which most of the scandals occurred, but
sadly,sim ilarab usesof human rights occur regularly in mental health services. For example, Mind’s
(2013b) own recent report into physical restraint in mental health settings highlighted a continued
overreliance on coercion within some services. This paper examines how the learning from recent
scandals could provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address some of the persistent
shortcomings within mental health services.
An overview of the reviews
The eventsat Mid StaffordshireHospital Trust, wherehundreds of people arethought to have died
unnecessarily as a result of neglect and many more experienced distressing incidents of harm,
have led to a proliferation of reports and reviews. Robert Francis QC’s first report (Francis, 2010)
examined individual cases of patient care while his second report was based on the subsequent
public inquiry (Francis, 2013). The Government’s initial response (Department of Health, 2013)
announced the appointment of a Chief Inspector of Hospitals, sitting within the Care Quality
Commission (CQC) and created a number of further reviews.
DOI 10.1108/MHSI-10-2013-0034 VOL. 18 NO. 1 2014, pp. 13-16, CEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308
j
MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
j
PAGE 13
To continue reading
Request your trial