A large proportion of patients who accessed acute mental health services in England say they felt let down in some important aspect of the care they received, a survey from the health services watchdog has found.

More than half of the 7500 people who responded to the survey from the Care Quality Commission said they at times felt unsafe while in hospital, two thirds said they were not as involved as they wanted to be in their care and treatment, and more than a third complained there were too few activities during their stay. The patients were asked to give their views of the care they received in 64 NHS trusts across England in 2008 soon after they were discharged.

The survey also found that most patients (86%) reported having physical …