Recurring concern
Insufficient staffing cover for mental health services during absences
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Request correctionFirst reported 7 Sep 2016•Latest report 27 Sep 2024
What this concern includes
Includes deficiencies in staffing cover, absence resilience, replacement arrangements or deployment within mental health services where sickness, holidays or comparable absences leave service users without adequate care, engagement, supervision or other required service functions; includes the anchor's insufficient cover during sickness and holidays and the supporting mental-health-service capacity failure during staff absence.
Not included
- Excludes general mental health service capacity or funding shortages where the specific unsafe condition is not inadequate staffing cover during personnel absence.
- Excludes staffing deficiencies outside mental health services.
- Excludes generic staff training, communication, documentation or clinical-quality failures unless they directly cause insufficient absence cover.
- Excludes isolated individual absence where the service maintains adequate cover and no continuing staffing-resilience deficiency is asserted.
- Reports
- 8
- Individual concerns
- 8
- Date range
- 2016–2024
- Stated actions
- 16
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
Delay in allocation of a replacement mental health care coordinator
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 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.6
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Action
Strengthen staff re-allocation and handover using a standardised handover template and clear successor contact information.
Stated by North London NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Recruit to address team vacancies, including targeted recruitment activity and continuing recruitment to remaining posts.
Stated by North London NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Increase staffing capacity through experienced agency staff, permanent social workers, a Band 7 supervisory role and a nursing Team Manager.
Stated by North London NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Mobilise locality teams to collaborate with Integrated Community Teams and provide flexible staffing from February 2025.
Stated by North London NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Train staff and implement the MaST tool for real-time caseload tracking and prioritisation of high-risk service users.
Stated by North London NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Use RAG case tracking, weekly allocation meetings and interim manual audits to prioritise and follow up high-risk cases.
Stated by North London NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to appoint interim Care Coordinator or Community Psychiatric Nurse cover
This report raised 3 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.4
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Action
Implement a Care Coordinator handover sheet for planned absences, identifying required follow-up and accountable staff.
Stated by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Establish manager-led review and coverage arrangements for unplanned, short-term and long-term Care Coordinator absences, including prioritised visits, duty-officer follow-up and caseload reallocation.
Stated by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Update the Older Adult Community Mental Health Team Standard Operating Procedure to reflect the absence-cover arrangements.
Stated by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Audit the absence-cover process after three months to verify that it is embedded and being followed.
Stated by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
-
Concerns raised1
Insufficient nursing staffing capacity and resilience in the community mental health team
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
Unavailability of alternative Care Coordinator cover during staff absence
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 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
Implement the Living Well model across all ten Greater Manchester localities, including multidisciplinary community mental-health teams.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board -
Action
Develop and embed multidisciplinary key-worker roles to strengthen community mental-health care and reduce reliance on individual care coordinators.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.3
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Position
GMMH’s existing systems maintain oversight, contact and risk responses when care coordinators are absent, so additional cover arrangements are not identified as necessary.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board
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Position
PCFT’s existing duty systems, care plans, caseload oversight and risk-based reallocation provide support during planned or unplanned clinician absence.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board -
Position
Responsibility for local mental health staffing, operations and specific Care Coordinator role requirements lies with the relevant NHS trust.
Stated by Maria Caulfield MP
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient staffing capacity to cover required engagement work
This report raised 3 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
Increase staff time available for service users and carers through Quality Priority 3 patient-care improvement work.
Stated by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Increase the NHS mental health workforce to expand service capacity and support safer care delivery.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care -
Action
Invest at least £2.3 billion annually to expand and transform NHS mental health services and increase treatment capacity.
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
Responsibility for hospital staffing and operations lies with the relevant NHS Trust.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Lack of practitioner cover and formal handover arrangements for Lead Practitioner caseloads during leave
This report raised 8 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
Incorporate leave handover arrangements, particularly for vulnerable patients, into staff risk assessment training.
Stated by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
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 team-wide duty system is considered safer and sufficient than assigning leave cover to one individual practitioner.
Stated by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to maintain continuity of engagement and care during key staff changes and sickness absence
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 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
Insufficient staffing cover during sickness and holidays
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 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.1
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Position
Existing local arrangements are relied upon to provide CTP review cover during staff absence, with capacity difficulties escalated to senior management.
Stated by Betsi Cadwaladr University LHB
Data last updated 7 September 2026