Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on its decision not to exercise urgent powers under section 31 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust following the inspections of 2025.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an independent regulator, and decisions about enforcement action are a matter for the CQC, exercised in line with its statutory remit and published enforcement policy. The Department has been informed of the CQC’s approach in this case.

Following inspections of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in 2025, including community mental health services and the health-based place of safety, the CQC identified regulatory breaches relating to patient safety, governance and the application of the Mental Health Act.

Regarding the community-based mental health services for adults of working age at the Lambeth Single Point of Access team, the CQC considered its enforcement options in line with its policy and determined that urgent action under section 31 was not required because immediate assurances were provided by the trust.

For the regulatory breaches, the CQC required the trust to set out an action plan for how improvements would be made, with progress monitored through ongoing regulatory oversight and engagement.