Acute Wards for adults of working age and PICU, August 2023
In August, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) re-inspected Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) acute Mental health wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units.
Following a review of incidents, information and CQC feedback, the inspection was focused on checking and assuring the safety and quality of the wards, as well as how they are being led.
The CQC found that concerns which had triggered the visit were not substantiated and therefore the existing rating of Requires Improvement in the Safe domain remains, overall the core service is rated as Good. The Trust overall has a CQC Outstanding rating for the services it provides.
During their visit the CQC found that there were some areas for improvement, including risk management. However;
- Patients spoke very positively about staff and found them “kind and supportive”.
- “Patients said that there was enough staff on duty” and “The service had enough nursing and support staff, who knew patients and received basic training to keep people safe from avoidable harm.”
- The CQC described a positive learning environment where “staff met regularly to discuss feedback and look at improvements to patient care” and that ”there was evidence that changes had been made as a result of this feedback.”
- “Most patients told us that staff managed incidents well.”
- The Trust continues to “invest effort into the leadership and development of staff”. That leaders and ward managers “had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles. They had a good understanding of the services they manages and were visible in the service and approachable to patients and staff.”
- “Staff we spoke to felt respected, supported and valued. They felt proud to work for the Trust.”
Angela Hillery said:
“We are a learning organisation and we value all feedback in all forms. We understand why the CQC came to inspect our services and as always we welcome their review, guidance and feedback – both positive and constructive. We will work closely with the CQC alongside our staff, service users, carers and stakeholders to address identified areas for improvement.”
NHFT remains committed to enabling a positive working environment for all our people and providing compassionate, safe, high-quality care for all.
The report can be found on the CQC website.