The Care Quality Commission (CQC) told Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust that it must make improvements to community-based mental health services for adults of working age, following an inspection in February.
The CQC carried out a short notice announced inspection due to ‘receiving information of concern about the safety and quality of care being provided’, as well as part of CQC’s continuous monitoring of services.
At this inspection, the CQC said it found two breaches of regulation, one relating to staffing and the other regarding good governance, with the trust being told to submit a plan showing what action it is taking in response to these concerns.
The overall rating for the service has declined from outstanding to requires improvement. The ‘safe and well-led’ category dropped from good to requires improvement. How effective and caring the service is has gone down from outstanding to good, and responsive has been re-rated as good.
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 Some of the care plans we looked at were either out of date, weren’t personalised or didn’t exist at all.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, 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, executive director of nursing, therapies and quality assurance at CNTW Trust, welcomed the CQC inspections which ‘hold the trust to rigorous standards’, with the ‘quality and safety of the care provided a top priority’ for the trust, who ‘are clear on the actions we need to take as an organisation’.
She said: “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.”
The CQC has said that it will continue to monitor the trust to ensure these improvements are made and people are safe while this happens.