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Regulator publishes results of mental-health patient ethnicity monitoring tool: ‘Count me in' census

The NHS, councils and wider community bodies should improve preventative services to ensure they meet the mental health needs of people from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said as it publishes the Count me in census.

The report - published today and designed to promote equality in healthcare - monitors the ethnicity of inpatients and people subject to the Mental Health Act.

It underlines the need for better local strategic needs assessments and bespoke community-based services to reduce the risk of admission and detention.

As similar reports by CQC's predecessor organisations have shown, this year's Count me in census shows people from black and white/black mixed groups are three times more likely than average to be detained under the Act. Furthermore, there is no evidence of a decline in admission rates among BME groups, one of the 12 goals of the Department of Health's action plan, Delivering Race Equality.

The report is the fifth of its kind and is carried out in support of the Department of Health's action plan.
The data collected is a snapshot of patients on one day only (31 March 2009) in NHS and independent mental health hospitals and learning disability services in England and Wales.

Count me in recommends better partnership working between organisations in the health sector and BME communities, to tackle the health and social care needs of local populations.

Preventing mental ill-health by addressing contributory factors and intervening early is at the heart of the Department of Health's plan for the future of mental health services.

CQC is also urging trusts and independent providers to continue to record accurate patient information. This will support their compliance with the new system of registration, which comes into effect in April.

Recording accurate patient information, including data on ethnicity, will support the regulation that requires providers to assess and monitor the quality of service provision. It will also support the regulation on the care and welfare of people who use services.

Trusts and independent providers that do not consider the ethnicity of people who use services may be unable to fully assess and meet their needs.

CQC chair, Jo Williams, said: ‘This census has once again highlighted the overrepresentation of some people from black and white/black mixed communities subject to treatment under the Mental Health Act.

‘We would urge all local providers and commissioners to analyse their own data
and decide what steps they need to take to meet the mental health needs of their communities.

‘We will also, through our commissioning assessment role, be examining the responsibility of commissioners to clamp down on poor practice.

‘Furthermore, there is no excuse for poor data collection and we will be scrutinising providers that perform badly in this domain. Data is critical for seeing how patients gain access to care, how they receive care and what the outcome is. Without it, providers cannot be assessed or assess themselves.

‘CQC will push hard to protect the vulnerable members of society and to ensure the safety of patients, through our registration enforcement powers if necessary.'

For more information please call Sarah Robertson on 020 7448 9210 or out of hours 07917 232 143.

Notes to editors

This is the fifth national census of the ethnicity of inpatients in NHS and independent mental health and learning disability services in England and Wales, conducted on 31 March 2009 and undertaken jointly by the Healthcare Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC), the Care Services Improvement Partnership and the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE). Following changes to the regulation of health and adult social care introduced by the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Healthcare Commission, MHAC and the Commission for Social Care Inspection were amalgamated into a new regulatory agency for health and adult social care, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). CQC came into effect from 1 April 2009, and takes over responsibility for the census.

• Services that took part in the census received their local data in August 2009.
• Count me in is compiled by CQC in conjunction with the National Mental Health Development Unit.

Download the 'Count me in' census 2009 report and data spreadsheets

About the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of all health and adult social care in England. We inspect all health and adult social care services in England, whether they're provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies or voluntary organisations. We also seek to protect the interests of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act. We make sure that essential common standards of quality are met everywhere care is provided, from hospitals to private care homes, and we work towards their improvement. We promote the rights and interests of people who use services and we have a wide range of enforcement powers to take action on their behalf if services are unacceptably poor.

Our work brings together (for the first time) independent regulation of health, mental health and adult social care. Before 1 April 2009, this work was carried out by the Healthcare Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Our aim is to make sure that better care is provided for everyone, whether it is in hospital, in care homes, in people's own homes, or anywhere else that care is provided.

Registration: The Health and Social Care Act 2008 introduced a new, single registration system that applies to both health and adult social care. The new system will make sure that people can expect services to meet new essential standards of quality and safety that respect their dignity and protect their rights. The new system is focused on outcomes, rather than systems and processes, and places the views and experiences of people who use services at its centre.

From April 2010, all health and adult social care providers will be required by law to be registered with CQC and must show that they are meeting the essential standards. Registration isn't just about initial application for registration. We will continuously monitor compliance with the essential standards as part of a new, more dynamic, responsive and robust system of regulation.