• The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman have commissioned a YouGov survey about the experiences of people who have used NHS mental health services in England.
• They found that one in five did not feel safe while in the care of the NHS mental health service that treated them.
• 48% said they would be unlikely to complain if they were unhappy with the service provided, and one in three said they did not think their complaint would be taken seriously if they did.

Responding to the results of a YouGov survey commissioned by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on mental health services, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"Clearly it is disappointing that a fifth of people do not feel safe while receiving care from mental health services. Frontline staff are dedicated to providing the best care possible to patients while working in increasingly pressurised environments, with more people than ever receiving treatment and care. The majority of mental health services receive care quality commission ratings of 'good' or 'outstanding'.

"Today's findings must be seen within the context of significant unmet need for a number of mental health conditions, demand for services is outstripping supply, and the longstanding issues for the sector around funding, workforce shortages and a lack of investment in buildings and facilities.

Frontline staff are dedicated to providing the best care possible to patients while working in increasingly pressurised environments, with more people than ever receiving treatment and care.

Saffron Cordery    Deputy Chief Executive

"Recently, we found that the majority of mental health leaders are worried about maintaining the quality of services over the next two years in the face of these wider issues which must be addressed to ensure that people get timely access to high-quality care.

"It is also disappointing to see the numbers of people that would be unlikely to complain if they were unhappy with the mental health care that they received, and who would not feel that it would be taken seriously if they did.

"Complaints handling and learning from complaints is critical, and it is through this process that improvements can be made to the quality of care. Trusts are on a journey of continual reflection and improvement, and are seeking to make wide-ranging improvements to how staff receive, respond and learn from feedback.

"Clearly more progress must be made to ensure that complaints handling is delivered to a consistently high-standard and so that quality improvement actions can be shared. Trust boards are responsible for setting a culture of openness and transparency, without fear of blame, which is also essential to making improvements."