Recurring concern
Unreliable Community Mental Health care access and discharge processes
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Request correctionFirst reported 9 Dec 2015•Latest report 18 Nov 2025
What this concern includes
Includes failures in the named Community Mental Health care process involving access, allocation or provision of community mental-health support, appointments from allocated staff, and discharge planning or execution where unclear or inconsistent arrangements can interrupt care or leave risks unmanaged.
Not included
- Excludes generic mental-health service capacity, staffing or communication deficiencies unless they directly impair Community Mental Health access or discharge processes.
- Excludes failures confined to psychiatric appointments, urgent mental-health referrals or other separately named pathways when those processes are the more specific supported concern.
- Excludes clinical treatment-quality failures after Community Mental Health care has been reliably accessed and discharge arrangements have been completed.
- Excludes generic discharge failures outside Community Mental Health care.
- Reports
- 16
- Individual concerns
- 17
- Date range
- 2015–2025
- Stated actions
- 38
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Unclear mental health care pathways for professionals after discharge
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to provide follow-up after community mental health assessment
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
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Position
The assessment found low suicide risk and sufficiently detailed needs assessment, so discharge after one consultation was considered the right decision.
Stated by Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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Position
Existing self-help resources, GP referral routes and CMHT re-referral contacts were considered sufficient without ongoing CMHT follow-up.
Stated by Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Delays in arranging a fresh Community Mental Health Team appointment after cancellation of an initial appointment
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Complete recruitment to vacancies so the community mental health team is fully staffed.
Stated by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Telephone service users who miss appointments to rearrange them instead of sending letters.
Stated by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Have the clinical team leader review pending appointments daily and allocate earlier appointments according to assessed changes in risk.
Stated by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Lack of effective community psychiatric nurse involvement
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Ensure team staff understand the process for allocating a community worker after assessment, including through new-starter induction.
Stated by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust -
Action
Implement comprehensive community-based mental health pathways so people access care at the right time and place.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care -
Action
Provide £400 million of additional investment through 2020/21 to improve community mental health provision.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
The lack of effective community psychiatric nurse input was an isolated incident, not evidence that community support generally did not exist.
Stated by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
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Concerns raised1
Premature discharge from community mental health services
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Formulate and obtain approval for standard arrangements ensuring patients seeking second opinions are not prematurely discharged and can access suitable appointments.
Stated by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to prioritise Community Mental Health Team appointments for patients at high risk of harm
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Send all mental health service commissioners NHS England expectations for commissioned arrangements covering urgent correspondence, clinical risk assessment, shared care, incident learning, and vulnerable patients who miss appointments.
Stated by NHS England -
Action
Reflect further on whether obtaining information about future appointments and clinicians would improve patient care.
Stated by Bodmin Road Health Centre
Data last updated 7 September 2026