Independent Commission launched to review the provision of Inpatient Psychiatric Care for Adults - NI - Call for Evidence

I am pleased to announce the launch of the independent Commission to Review the Provision of Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Care for Adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Commission has been established with funding from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, but has agreed its own terms of reference and is expected to operate independently. It is being chaired by Lord Nigel Crisp, former Chief Executive of the NHS in England and Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health (2000-2006). It will review the current provision of acute inpatient services, investigate the causes of pressures on beds, and examine the relationships between inpatient services and other aspects of the health and social care system.

Call for Evidence

The Commission is also launching a call for evidence which will run until March 18th 2015. The Commissioners would like to hear from anyone who has knowledge or experience of acute inpatient care in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and are particularly interested in hearing about innovative solutions to bed pressures which are already being put into practice.

You can respond to the call for evidence by visiting http://www.caapc.info/call-for-evidence

Additionally, I would be extremely grateful if you could cascade information on the Commission’s Call for Evidence through your networks so that all interested parties have an opportunity to respond. 

Throughout my career I have seen recurring crises in the provision of mental health beds, with wards running at full capacity and patients in crisis having nowhere to go.  Now is the time to look at these crises more closely, identify the underlying causes and move towards finding practical and sustainable solutions. I hope that this Commission will find solutions that ensure that anyone in need of inpatient psychiatric care has access to local, high quality services.

More information on the Commission, including its Terms of Reference, a Background Briefing Paper and Commissioner Biographies can be found at www.CAAPC.info or by contacting information@CAAPC.info

Kind regards,

Simon

Professor Sir Simon Wessely, President, The Royal College of Psychiatrists