Our On the day briefing summarises the main points from the report, and we have also outlined key headlines below:

• This year's report puts a specific focus on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on patients detained under the MHA, and on the services that care for and treat them. Many of the services CQC considered through its remote monitoring of the MHA coped well with the pandemic situation.

• CQC found services that focused the most on carefully applying the principles of least restriction were the most successful in empowering their patients, and staff, to cope with the extra restrictions imposed on society in general. Good services also put emphasis on care planning to involve and empower patients, as well as co-production with patients in order to improve the ward environment.

• Action the CQC wants to see in future to best support people subject to detention under the MHA include:

• Plan for individuals’ discharge from hospital, carried out in co-production with patients and their families/support networks in order to ensure better outcomes.

• Modernise the physical environment of services. This would help infection control measures.

• Services recognise the significant impact restrictions on leave of absence and activity can have on detained patients and ensure these are lifted as quickly and as safely possible.

The briefing also summarises findings from CQC’s community mental health survey 2020, which was published earlier this week and found that many people are having poor experiences of NHS community mental health services.