Government launches national safety review after scandals

In a ministerial statement, Maria Caulfield announced her department would be commencing the review and that it will be chaired by former national clinical director Geraldine Strathdee.

Dr Strathdee is already leading the inquiry into inpatient deaths over 20 years at Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust, which she revealed earlier this month may fail to deliver unless it is given statutory powers.

The announcement comes amid serious safety concerns and abuse identified by BBC Panorama filming at the Edenfield Centre at Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, poor care uncovered by Channel 4’s Dispatches at EPUT and a highly critical NHS review of the care of three teenagers who died at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys FT in 2019 and 2020.

Ms Caulfield told the Commons: ”This review is an essential first step in improving safety in mental health inpatient settings.

”It will focus on what data and evidence is currently available to healthcare services, including information provided by patients and families, and how we can use this data and evidence more effectively to identify patient safety risks and failures in care.”

She said the rapid review will be separate from but complementary to the Essex inquiry which earlier this month was thrown into doubt over “hugely disappointing” staff engagement.

Just 11 staff of 14,000 who worked at the trust between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2020 said they would attend evidence sessions. The probe is investigating 2,000 deaths of people in contact with services between those dates.

Ms Caulfield also referenced NHS England’s three-year quality improvement programme backed with £36m, firm details of which remain scarce. 

She said her officials will continue to work closely with NHSE colleagues to ensure the rapid review is aligned with and complementary to this programme.

The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed to HSJ the review is non-statutory and expected to run for eight weeks.

Bereaved families have been calling for a statutory review of mental health services while those in Essex want the current inquiry to be awarded statutory powers.

Dr Strathdee said it was her view that the Essex inquiry would not be able to meet its terms of reference as a non-statutory inquiry. In its current form, staff are not compelled to give evidence under oath.