The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have revealed the findings of their annual Community Mental Health Survey.

Despite some small improvements, the report shows that many people with mental health problems aren’t getting the support that they need.

Almost a third of people (29%) of people with experience of crisis care services said that they did not know who to contact in the event of a mental health emergency. The survey also shows significant inconsistency between people’s experiences of crisis care.

In spite of recent commitments to improve mental health care, a quarter of respondents to the survey said that they had not seen someone from NHS mental health services often enough for their needs. This figure has risen steadily from 21% in 2014.

Vicki Nash, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Mind, said:

“The care people with mental health problems receive in their communities is crucial to keeping them well, and reducing the risk of them needing more intensive and expensive care further down the line. For too long, we’ve seen little or no improvement in people’s experiences of care, with some areas actually getting worse.

“We know that two thirds of people with a mental health problem don’t get any support from services at all, and this survey shows that even those who do don’t always get the help they need. Our mental health services are under immense pressure at the moment, and this report shows the stark scale of the challenge they face.

“These findings again highlight the importance of investment in mental health services. It’s essential that the £1bn promised by 2020-2021 as part of the NHS and Government’s five-year plan for mental health services reaches the front line, to bring them up to a basic standard. After sustained underfunding, this £1bn is only the beginning – it will take decades of continued investment to ensure that everyone with a mental health problem gets the care they need, when they need it.”