The CQC found improvements are needed in community mental health services at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has dropped the rating of community-based mental health services for adults of working age in Hull(Image: Getty Images)
A damning health watchdog report has downgraded community mental health services for working-age adults in Hull, uncovering staff shortages, care delays, and medicine management issues.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) dropped the overall rating for the service—run by Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust—from Good to Requires Improvement following an unannounced inspection in March. The inspection was carried out as part of the regulator’s national adult community mental health programme.
The CQC had found a breach of regulation at the previous inspection, in relation to mandatory training compliance. At this latest inspection, improvements had been made and the trust was no longer in breach of that regulation – but six new breaches were discovered.
The breaches involved risks to people waiting for care and treatment; not having enough staff; poor medicines management, not providing timely care and treatment, as well as not having effective systems and processes to keep people safe who were waiting for treatment. The trust’s community-based mental health services for adults of working age are spread across eight teams, including Beverley Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), Bridlington and Driffield CMHT, Goole CMHT, Haltemprice CMHT, Holderness CMHT, Hull CMHT, Psychosis Service for People in Hull and East Riding (PSYPHER), early intervention in psychosis team and the Mental Health Triage and Assessment Team (MHTAT).
The report highlights staffing pressures, saying: “The service did not always make sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced people, who received effective support, supervision and development and worked together effectively to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.”
It says that some teams had high sickness absence rates, some had high staff turnover rates, and that “staff and managers told us staffing pressures due to vacancies and sickness absence had contributed to the waiting lists within Hull CMHT”. The findings triggered a warning notice from the CQC, demanding immediate, significant improvements in how the trust manages waiting lists and monitors patients prescribed medications.
The CQC has also told the trust to submit an action plan showing what action it is taking in response to its concerns. The commission downgraded the ratings for being effective, responsive and well-led from good to requires improvement. For being safe, it has been re-rated as requires improvement. However, for being caring it has again been rated as good.
Despite the management criticisms, inspectors acknowledged that frontline healthcare workers continued to provide compassionate care under pressure. Patients and carers described staff as kind and respectful, with carers noting they felt actively involved and listened to in their loved ones’ treatment plans.
Additionally, the service was commended for promoting patient independence, respecting individual choices, and acting swiftly to alleviate acute distress when interacting with patients. The Trust’s leadership informed the regulator that remedial work began straight after the March inspection.
The CQC confirmed it will maintain strict oversight of the service to verify that safety standards are restored and maintained.
Jayne Reid, CQC deputy director of mental health in the north east, said: “When we inspected community-based mental health services for adults of working age in Hull, the quality of care had declined significantly since our last inspection. It was concerning that the service didn’t always have a good understanding of people’s needs when waiting for treatment or after they’d been prescribed medicines.
“Two people told us they hadn’t had regular medicines reviews with a doctor, and one had stopped taking their medicines as they’d experienced issues but couldn’t get a review or access the support they needed. Another person had been waiting for two years for treatment after moving from child and adolescent mental health services to the adult community mental health team. Also, some people told us they had difficulty accessing support out of hours which could put them at risk of harm.
“Additionally, leaders didn’t always ensure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to provide safe care and treatment to meet people’s individual needs. The trust told us that they’d recruited five nurses, but they hadn’t started at the time of the inspection.
“However, it was positive to hear that people and carers described staff as kind and respectful. Also, carers told us that they were included and actively involved in their loved ones care and treatment, which provided them with reassurance. Since the March inspection, leaders have informed us that they have started to make improvements to address the issues identified during this visit.
“Leaders at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust know where they need to make further improvements and we will be monitoring the service closely to ensure changes are made and people are kept safe while this happens.”
Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust said: “Humber welcomes the Care Quality Commission’s report and the opportunity it provides to reflect on our services. The report highlights areas where improvement was required at the time of the inspection in March 2026.
“Many of these had already been identified by the Trust and were being addressed through a comprehensive improvement plan shared with the CQC during the inspection process. Since the inspection, we have continued to build on this work, focusing on delivering sustainable improvements in the quality, safety and experience of care for our patients.
“Work continues to progress to improve patient pathways, making it easier for patients to get back in touch with our adult community mental health services, when they need further support.”
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