CQC's annual report "Monitoring the Mental Health Act 2016/2017" starkly warns that issues raised with some mental health providers around MHA compliance in recent years continue to show a lack of improvement. Fundamental patient rights are being breached. A sobering 32% of providers couldn't demonstrate patient involvement in care planning. Other concerns raised by CQC are around specific patient needs not being considered in care planning, obtaining patient views was sporadic and using least restrictive options for care couldn't be evidenced.

CQC inspectors will undoubtedly have these issues at the forefront of their minds in forthcoming inspections of mental health providers. Providers of organisations, large or small, should review now the concerns raised by CQC in this report and determine what they are doing to meet the legal requirements. These issues will factor heavily in any assessment of how "Well Led" the organisation is in addressing the concerns.

We have seen limited or no improvement in the key concerns we have raised in previous years.