CQC outlines ongoing pressures in annual State of Care report

Problems are persisting with mental health, maternity and ambulance services, and adult social care provision is unstable, the regulator has warned.

The report also references most of the major research published by Healthwatch England in the past year as well as acknowledging the role of local Healthwatch in shining a light on health inequalities.

Key findings from state of care

• 10% of maternity services are rated as inadequate overall, 39% require improvement and women and babies from ethnic minority groups face greater risks of harm.

• 40% of mental health providers are rated inadequate or require improvement on safety and people end up in A&E because of gaps in community or inpatient services.

• Adult social care budgets haven’t kept pace with running costs of services, and provision may be worse in deprived areas, where more people need council-funded care.

• Research commissioned by CQC shows more people turning to private care, when they previously would have used the NHS.

Healthwatch England findings in the report

• Hidden waiting lists faced by people due to delays in getting referred by GPs or admin problems meaning their referral gets lost or bounced around the system (page18).

• Problems experienced by people waiting for care for suspected cancer (pages 20-21).

• Interviews with new mothers highlighting concerns about miscommunication about their care (pg 45).

• Examples of local Healthwatch supporting women from the Bangladeshi community, autistic people and people with a learning disability to be involved in work linked to the menopause, or helping to develop Easy Read breast screening recall letters for people with learning disabilities (130). This section also stresses the importance of integrated care systems following the Working with people and communities statutory guidance, which includes extensive references to involving local Healthwatch in helping to shape services.

Media coverage of our response to the report

So far, Healthwatch England chief executive Lousie Ansari has been quoted in The Guardian’s coverage of the report, commenting on the maternity findings, while her deputy, Chris McCann was interviewed by LBC radio on the same theme.