Archived: Evenlode

We saw that although Evenlode was busy, it was a calm unit with mostly appropriate care being delivered effectively by a stable and supportive staff. However, we were made aware of a serious "near-miss" incident where a person who used the service had come to substantial harm whilst being nursed within the seclusion facility.

People we spoke to, and their relatives, told us that they felt well-supported. One person told us the care delivered felt as if it was "done to him, rather than done with input from him".

People told us they felt safe within the unit and thought the staff would know what to do if they suspected any abuse of any kind.

We saw that staff had undergone appropriate training to support their roles within a specialist unit.

We heard from staff that there was excellent local leadership and management. However they also told us there was a "lack of engagement" between the provider (Southern Health) and staff at unit level. They said that there was a culture of "listen but do nothing constructive" from the provider. We noted that, despite some very good local management, there had been a lack of timely intervention to prevent the "near-miss" incident from happening again.