Wiltshire mental health services told to improve by regulator

The health regulator has called for further improvements to safety at the service which looks after mental health patients across Wiltshire

The Care Quality Commission has once again rated Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust as 'requires improvements', the same overall rating the organisation received in 2018.

Inspectors praised the leadership at the trust, which has been rated 'good' overall.

However, they outlined several areas for improvement when it comes to the treatment of young people and older patients. These included:

• Some of the areas where young people received care were not safe, clean or well equipped. Assessments were not always thorough enough to remove potential risks.

• Some staff found their caseloads were too high to give each young person the help they needed.

• Staff didn't always assess and treat young people quickly enough.

• There some issues with patient consent. For example some staff entered patient’s bedrooms without knocking on their door or asking for permission to enter.

• Some staff didn't feel involved in the development of the future plans on wards

• Some wards were being used as admission areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to further work for staff.

Karen Bennett-Wilson, the CQC’s head of inspection for mental health, said:

“Since our last inspection of Avon and Wiltshire Partnership NHS Trust, the leadership team has demonstrated a higher level of awareness of the priorities and challenges facing the trust and they responded quickly to take action to keep staff and patients safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"However, despite plans being in place to address challenges, actions did not always happen at pace.

“For example, there is work to do to manage environmental risks including known ligature points that people may use to hurt themselves, on the wards for older adults. Plans have been created but not fully implemented which puts people at risk.

“Most staff we spoke with told us that their immediate managers were visible and supportive. However, staff did not always feel that senior leaders, outside of their local areas, were approachable or had a good understanding of the services.

"It was also concerning that staff did not always feel able to raise concerns without fear of retribution.

“In April 2020 the trust took over Weston Area Health Children’s and Adolescent Mental Health Community services. These services were originally rated inadequate under the previous provider, but the local team have worked hard, and this rating is now requires improvement.

“We will continue to monitor the trust closely to ensure it continues to make improvements and embeds them fully in areas where progress has already been made.”

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