A HEALTHCARE watchdog has said that mental health care is ‘at a crossroads’.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates healthcare providers, warned that mental health services faced ‘unprecedented challenges’.

While some mental health trusts were responding well to increasing demand, the watchdog slammed other providers for sticking with ‘outdated’ care that they said left patients ‘helpless and powerless’.

The CQC report aimed to give an overview of mental health care across NHS trusts and independent providers.

The report's authors warned that only three in five mental health service providers were rated as ‘good’ for safety.

They also said that the 3,500 beds in locked mental health rehabilitation wards risked ‘institutionalising’ long-stay patients, rather than helping them back into the community. Two thirds of these beds are managed by firms in the independent sector - rather than NHS trusts.

Responding to the report, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, which is manages the Sandalwood Court mental hospital in Stratton, said that they were focussed on ‘consistent improvement’.

In an inspection report last September the CQC gave the trust a ‘requires improvement’ rating.

The trust had been given two warning notices in the last 18 months, the CQC said. One of these was slapped on the trust in May 2016 because of “serious concerns about the quality of care in the health based places of safety across the trust.”

CQC inspectors revisited the trust in June – with their report expected later this year.

A spokesman for Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust said: “We work closely with the CQC to improve services. Being compliant with CQC standards is now part of our everyday life and this means that we are always 'inspection-ready.'

“Having the right balance of staff is key to the safe delivery of service user care and one of our key priorities is to enhance our ability to recruit and retain the highest quality staff. We are proud that their commitment and quality of care has been recognised by the CQC.

“Our future plans focus on consistent improvement including ensuring service users get access to the right service at the right time.

“Our trust works closely with colleagues across a range of services and organisations to ensure those with mental health needs are supported by the highest quality services.”

The Care Quality Commission’s mental health lead Dr Paul Lelliott said: "The mental health sector is at a crossroads. Some services remain rooted in the past – providing care that is over-restrictive and that is not tailored to each person’s individual needs. This can leave people feeling helpless and powerless.

“But the best services are looking to the future by working in partnership with the people whose care they deliver, empowering their staff and looking for opportunities to work with other parts of the health and care system.”

The CQC said that healthcare commissioners had a responsibility to ensure that they are getting the right services for people in their area.

Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group last year invested £16m to Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership to provide mental health services across Swindon. That investment is increasing by an additional £1.5m this year, the CCG said.