Community mental health services across the North East have been rapped by the Care Quality CommissionSt Nicholas Hospital is run by the CNTW NHS Trust(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
One of the region’s biggest NHS trusts has seen its community mental health services stripped of a previously “outstanding” Care Quality Commission rating. That’s because of issues with “culture”, long waits for care, and a lack of involvement of patients in the planning of their own care, according to inspectors.
The Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Trust’s community mental health services for adults are now rated “requires improvement”. NHS bosses said they had a plan in place to improve things.
Issues identified during the inspection – which took place between February 25 and 27 this year – included that some patients had care plans that were “either out of date, weren’t personalised or didn’t exist at all”, while inspectors also highlighted waits of up to two years for support. The inspectors visited a number of community treatment teams and “early intervention in psychosis” teams around the region – these are services which support people without the need to become a hospital inpatient.
Other problems raised include how staff didn’t have appropriate training, and did not always explain a patient’s rights under the Mental Health Act in a way that they could understand. However, inspectors also listed positives such as that staff knew how to identify patients at risk of serious harm and that the trust was “open and transparent” with families when things went wrong.
The inspection took place at short notice after the CQC had received “information of concern about the safety and quality of care being provided”. The trust has been told to submit an action plan in response to the concerns and will be closely monitored.
Victoria Marsden, CQC deputy director of operations in the North East, said: “During our inspection of the trust’s community-based mental health services for adults of working age, we found a deterioration in the standard of care being delivered to people since our previous inspection. Leaders hadn’t created a culture where staff could deliver high quality, person-centred care.
“It was concerning that staff didn’t always involve people in their care planning and risk assessments. Some of the care plans we looked at were either out of date, weren’t personalised or didn’t exist at all. This could put people at risk of harm if staff weren’t aware of their individual needs.
“Some people told us that they’d waited for up to two years to access the service. People had received an initial phone call, but they didn’t always find it helpful and still had to wait to access therapy sessions which they found frustrating.”
However, Ms Marsden said there were some positives. She said: “Most people told us staff were discreet and respectful. They felt staff listened to their views and preferences, and explained their treatment in a way they understood.
“We’ll continue to monitor the service, including through future inspections, to make sure the trust has made the required improvements and people are receiving the safe care they deserve. We won’t hesitate to take further action if we find this isn’t happening.”
Sarah Rushbrooke, CNTW’s executive director of nursing, therapies and quality assurance, said the trust welcomed inspections and added: “The quality and safety of the care we provide is our top priority and we are clear on the actions we need to take as an organisation. Following the inspection, we have put an action plan in place to address the concerns.
“Learning disability and autism training is now mandatory for staff and we have made efforts to address waiting lists by using temporary staff and offering assessments on weekends, which has successfully reduced some waiting times.
“I am pleased that the report also highlighted some positives. Patients said staff treated them with respect and involved them in their care. It’s also good to see that staff said they felt supported and valued and that they’re proud to work for CNTW. We’re grateful to the teams working across our services for their dedication in providing compassionate care.
“We recognise that improvements need to be made and will take action to ensure that the concerns identified are addressed.”
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