Mental health crisis support is inadequate across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, according to a report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The commission reached this conclusion following an inspection of the mental health crisis services and health-based places of safety (HBPoS) provided by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which was formed in 2024.

An HBPoS is a place where those who have been ‘sectioned’ (detained under the Mental Health Act) can be managed safely while being assessed, rather than being held in police cells.

Inspectors found seven regulation breaches related to staffing, response times for urgent and very urgent mental health care, seclusion practices, direct outdoor access and overall management of the service.

In particular, the crisis teams were short-staffed which caused delays and made some staff feel unsafe. Moreover, appropriate support, including the crisis helpline, was not always accessible and, while staff knew how to identify people at risk of significant harm, they didn’t always raise their concerns appropriately, nor did they always record them.

People staying at two of the trust’s HBPoS – The Orchards, Portsmouth, and Elmleigh, Havant – could not always access fresh air, and the service did not consistently provide a safe environment for people and staff. For example, in some places there were no alarms for staff to use and some doors did not have observation windows.

However, the inspectors noted that staff treated people kindly and compassionately and understood their diverse health and care needs. They also recorded that safety events were investigated and reported, and lessons were learned. There was a carers involvement team and support for carers, including support groups.

The CQC rated four categories – safe, responsive, effective and well-led – as requiring improvement, and the final category – caring – as good. It has asked the trust for an action plan to bring the service up to scratch.

Suzie Marriott, Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Allied Health Professions and Social Work at the trust, said: “We are sorry that the CQC inspection found that our mental health crisis services did not consistently provide the standard of care people have a right to expect.

“While we are proud that our staff were recognised for their kindness and compassion, we fully accept the concerns raised in relation to access to services, response times, governance, environments and staffing.

“We recognise the impact this may have had on people using our services, their families and carers, and our staff, and we offer our sincere apologies.”

Ms Marriott said that, as a newly formed organisation, the trust was working at pace to bring together services and establish consistent, high-quality standards across the trust. She said it had already taken steps to improve access to services, reduce waiting times and improve governance arrangements, and had also developed a comprehensive action plan to address all of the issues identified by the CQC.

She added: “We are committed to learning from this inspection and are implementing the necessary improvements to ensure everyone experiencing a mental health crisis receives timely, safe and compassionate care, wherever they are in our communities.”