National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death: A Picture of Health?

The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) has published its latest review of the quality of physical healthcare provided to adults in mental health inpatient settings. More specifically, this report is based on data from clinical and organisational questionnaires, case notes and surveys, and assesses the care provided to patients aged 18 years and older with specific health conditions who were admitted to a mental health inpatient setting for a period of more than one week from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019. The report found that a detailed physical health assessment was not undertaken appropriately for 28 out of126 (22.2%) patients, and physical health conditions were not included in the initial clerking for 29 out of150 (19.3%) patients. As such, it suggests that a physical healthcare plan should be developed when patients are admitted to a mental health inpatient setting. Other key messages aimed at improving care include calls to:

• formalise clinical networks/pathways between mental health and physical healthcare
• involve patients and their carers in their physical healthcare, and use admission as an opportunity to assess and involve patients in their general health, and
• include mental health and physical health conditions on electronic patient records.

In addition, this report makes a number of recommendations to highlight areas that are suitable for regular local clinical audit and quality improvement initiatives by those providing care to patients. It also suggests that the results of such work should be presented at quality or governance meetings, and action plans to improve care should be shared with executive boards. Read the full report: You can read the report by clicking on the link below. Stay-up-to-date: For notifications of future reports from HQIP, sign up to our mailing list.