About the programme

The aim of the Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme (MHSIP) is to improve the safety and outcomes of mental health care by reducing unwarranted variation and providing a high-quality healthcare experience for all people across the system by March 2024.

Programme ambitions

The programme will initially focus on improving patient safety for those who use inpatient mental health and learning disability services, including staff who work in health care settings. Priorities will include:

Reducing suicide and deliberate self-harm – Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 49 and women under the age of 34. In mental health inpatient areas there are between 20-30 deaths per year by suicide. The impact of the pandemic on health and social care staff is, sadly, also expected to lead to an increase in the suicide rate.

Reducing restrictive practice – high numbers of people using mental health and learning disability services are subject to restrictive practice and our aim is to reduce this number.

Improving sexual safety – The CQC have highlighted the alarming number of sexual safety incidents that occur and the disturbing accounts of people who experienced sexual harm whilst using inpatient services. Many patients with complex mental health needs have vulnerabilities associated with previous sexual trauma and are at their most vulnerable when using inpatient services.

Find out more

Get in touch with a member of the programme team below to find out how you can get involved.