A&E’s staff ‘not trained’ for mental health

Staff working in an understaffed A&E were unsure about who was responsible for the care of patients with mental health issues – potentially putting them at risk of harm, the Care Quality Commission has said.

In a letter to East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, the CQC warned there was a lack of clarity over who was responsible for patients with mental health issues at Colchester Hospital’s A&E – including over who should be completing their observations.

Inspectors also raised concerns about staffing levels, a lack of training, and monitoring of patients waiting in corridors.

The letter said: “We spoke with staff working in the emergency department who told us they did not have any special training for mental health patients. Staff told us this was concerning as they often cared for mental health patients.”

Staff also told the CQC they did not know what a corridor risk assessment was, despite a number of patients being cared for in corridors. The CQC warned of the problems in moving beds around in the corridor.

“If a patient were to deteriorate, it would be challenging to either take the patient to resuscitation or to get the resuscitation trolley to the patient,” the CQC said. Patients in corridor beds without call bells would not be able to summon help if they deteriorated, it added.

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Source: HSJ, 14 July 2025