To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the standard of care provided by private providers for NHS inpatient mental health treatment.
This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.
Answered on
1 December 2022
The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) ‘The state of health care and adult social care in England 2021/22’ stated that 77% of mental health core services were rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ at the most recent inspection. Of this, 80% of National Health Service providers received a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ rating, compared to 73% of independent healthcare organisations.
All providers must register with the CQC and follow fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fall. In addition, NHS England has frameworks in place to ensure improvements in quality by all providers and allow oversight and assurance to identify, escalate and take action on issues where necessary.