A report carried out by the Commission For Social Care Inspection (CSCI) into Merton’s Mental Health Services has identified a number of areas, where improvement is required.

The inspection took place between October 4 and 13 by three inspectors from CSCI.

A total of 27 recommendations were made and the report concluded that some people were being served well by services in Merton, but that Merton’s capacity for improvement was uncertain.

Speaking about the report, Merton’s Interim Director of Community and Housing, Jeff Hobden said:

“We have looked at the recommendations that the CSCI inspectors made and we will be discussing viable ways in which to take them forward at January’s Cabinet meeting.

Naturally we are concerned that our provision of Mental Health Services has been found to be falling short in certain areas. We have been working hard to improve the service with the resources available and we will continue to do so.

It’s essential that Merton along with the South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust find ways in which to better the services that are currently on offer.

I would like to add that this is just one area, that we need to improve, as the recent report also by CSCI into our Social Services department provided evidence that we have made serious inroads, especially when you bear in mind the days of when we were languishing under special measures.

That aside, our immediate thoughts and attention will turn to Merton’s Mental Health Services, as we are determined to make progress in this area.

Councillor Steve Austin, Cabinet member also added his thoughts in relation to the report:

“I would like to assure people that all efforts will be made with our key partners to ensure that people who avail of this service are not found wanting.

We know why and where we have to improve so the onus is on us and the South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust.

An encouraging factor is that we have already improved Social Services from the time when it was sub standard, so we can certainly do the same for our Mental Health Services.

It’s important to remember that a number of positives were raised in the report, in particular the point about the application and enthusiasm of staff involved in this area of work.

I feel this provides a good platform for improvement and reason for optimism.”

The objective of the inspection was to evaluate how far Merton Council had implemented national and local priorities relating to the social care needs of adults with mental health difficulties a