Care Quality Commission Threatens to Shut Down Inadequate Mental Health Services Run by Private Companies

This follows the CQC's judging of three child wards at the Priory Group's Cheadle Royal hospital as "inadequate", as they did not provide safe care.

The Priory Group, the largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care in the UK, disputes the CQC's finding and has invested £2m in improving the service since January 2020.

Chris Dzikiti, the CQC's new director of mental health services, has stated that he is determined to improve standards and warns that services that do not improve could be closed.

The CQC is responsible for inspecting over 900 mental health units in England and the number of beds operated by private companies has increased despite a decrease in mental health beds over the past decade.

The Priory Group's Cheadle Royal hospital was downgraded from "good" to "requires improvement" in its latest CQC report, which found issues such as poor maintenance, high levels of restraint, and staff vacancies.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is finally speaking out about the poor conditions in a private healthcare facility, according to a former inspector who believes private providers pose particular concerns.

These companies prioritize reputation management and keeping hospitals full, which can result in serious harm to patients.

The Department of Health and Social Care responded by stating that patients should expect a safe and good quality service from both independent and public sector providers.