Rise in mental health-related serious incidents and deaths highlighted

There has been a significant rise in the number of serious incidents and deaths among mental health patients in England, according to a new study.

Freedom of Information requests from the Liberal Democrats have revealed that there were 8,139 serious incidents – events with severe enough consequences for patients and staff to warrant investigation – recorded by the 58 mental health trusts in England in 2014-15.

This was up from 6,074 in 2012-13, or a rise of 31 percent over the whole period. Meanwhile, 1,714 unexpected deaths were recorded in 2014-15, including 751 suicides; both figures were up by around one-fifth in the last three years.

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, said: "These findings raise really serious concerns. I believe they should trigger a full investigation by the government and by NHS England."

Responding to the data, NHS England has stated that the rise in the numbers is indicative of the greater openness and transparency in incident reporting that has been implemented within the NHS, rather than a sign of falling standards.