First reported 20 Apr 2017•Latest report 18 Nov 2025
Definition
What this concern includes
Includes failures of the community mental health assessment process, including missing or inadequate assessment frameworks, failure to complete assessments, and unsafe delays or unavailability of urgent assessments where these concern assessment of a person's mental health needs and required help or treatment.
Not included
Excludes generic documentation, staffing, demand or service-capacity deficiencies unless they are directly tied to failure of the community mental health assessment process.
Excludes treatment, placement, referral and crisis-response failures that do not concern the assessment itself.
Excludes assessments in unrelated clinical, social-care, legal or public-safety systems.
Reports
5
Distinct published reports
Individual concerns
6
A report can raise multiple concerns
Date range
2017–2025
First to latest report issue date
Stated actions
10
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.
NHS England2
ADAPT, Bexley Locality Community Mental Health Team1
Bexley ADAPT Service1
Department of Health and Social Care1
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust1
Greater Manchester Police1
National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People1
NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board1
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust1
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust1
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust1
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust1
NHS trust4
Executive non-departmental public body2
Healthcare site1
Integrated care board1
Ministerial department1
Police force1
Professional membership body1
Sub-organisation1
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.
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Concerns raised2
Failure to complete standard community needs and treatment assessments
Lack of policy, guidance or framework governing standard community needs and treatment assessments
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each 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
Action
Issue and operationalize a Practice Note requiring SAF waiting-list contact, key-worker appointment dates, transition timescales, and clarification that SAF is not prerequisite to care.
Stated by North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 21 November 2025.
Action
Revise the Trust Care Management Policy to incorporate the new processes, guidance, and audit assurance arrangements.
Stated by North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 21 November 2025.
West Sussex, Brighton and Hove
Concerns raised1
Lack of available British Sign Language interpreters for Deaf patients with mental health difficulties
Responses linked to these concerns
Each 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.7
Action
Hold a stakeholder meeting to brief stakeholders on the plan to publish a refreshed Accessible Information Standard.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 27 March 2025.
Action
Work with the BSL Advisory Board to inform statutory guidance with professional standards and contract-level requirements for interpreter provision.
Stated by National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPDStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 27 March 2025.
Action
Support NHS England and Integrated Care Boards in designing procurement frameworks aligned with the Procurement Act 2023.
Stated by National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPDStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 27 March 2025.
Action
Support Deaf organisations and sector partners in advocating for system-wide changes enabling practical real-time language provision.
Stated by National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPDStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 27 March 2025.
Action
Contribute to statutory guidance under the BSL Act by promoting high-quality, regulated interpreting requirements in service specifications and contracts.
Stated by National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPDStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 27 March 2025.
Action
Promote person-centred procurement models embedding interpreting provision from the outset of care planning.
Stated by National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPDStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 27 March 2025.
Action
Promote interpreter provision as a core communication function within care and safeguarding models.
Stated by National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPDStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 27 March 2025.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.6
Position
Individual NHS Trusts and employers determine staffing levels and workforce composition, including appropriate weekend cover.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
Integrated Care Boards are responsible for commissioning community mental health services and ensuring adequate BSL interpreter provision.
Stated by NHS EnglandRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
NHS commissioners and procurement leads must require interpreting agencies to adopt continuity-based frameworks and confirm interpreter availability during care planning.
Stated by National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPDRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
Systemic improvement in interpreter access cannot be achieved by NRCPD alone, requiring coordinated action by multiple organisations and sectors.
Stated by National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPDUnable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Position
Commissioning community mental health services, including adequate BSL interpreter provision, is the responsibility of integrated care boards.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
NHS trusts and integrated care boards are responsible for making Equality Act reasonable adjustments to ensure accessible services.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
South London
Concerns raised1
Over-reliance on alcohol and drug use in assessing suicidal ideation
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each 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
Action
Share the root-cause analysis report and investigation learning with the involved team and across the Trust to support reflection by similar teams.
Stated by Oxleas NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 27 March 2020.
Manchester North
Concerns raised1
Unavailability of an out-of-hours mental-health community response service for face-to-face assessment
This report raised 13 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each 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.1
Position
CRT cannot respond to all mental-health incidents because demand exceeds its commissioned capacity and requires triage.
Stated by Greater Manchester PoliceUnable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
City of London
Concerns raised1
Delays in granting urgent psychiatric assessments
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Includes failures of the community mental health assessment process, including missing or inadequate assessment frameworks, failure to complete assessments, and unsafe delays or unavailability of urgent assessments where these concern assessment of a person's mental health needs and required help or treatment.
