England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals has found some improvement in Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) but says more work is needed across the trust.
Between 9 October and 21 November 2017, a team of CQC inspectors visited the trust’s community health services for adults, acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care unit, community based mental health services for adults of working age, mental health crisis services and health based place of safety and specialist community mental health services for children and young people.
The inspection identified a number of improvements but the trust needs to undertake further work to ensure all services meet the standards people should be able to expect.
Although the overall rating for the trust has not changed as a result of this inspection, and it remains rated as Requires Improvement, community mental health services for children and young people is now rated as Requires Improvement, having previously been rated as Inadequate.
Deputy Chief Inspector for Hospitals (lead for mental health), Paul Lelliott, said:
“We found a number of improvements had been made with regard to the services we inspected at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. This was particularly evident in specialist community mental health services for children and young people which was rated as Inadequate following our previous inspection in November 2016."
“Those improvements have resulted in CQC being able to change the rating for that service to Requires Improvement."
“While those improvements haven’t resulted in a change to the trust’s overall rating of Requires Improvement, this demonstrates that it is working to improve services for its patients."
“The trust board knows what it must do now and we will return to check on progress at the trust at a later date.”
Inspectors found the trust had addressed issues regarding the health based place of safety which were identified during CQC’s previous inspection. The process for monitoring patients on the waiting list in specialist community mental health services for children and young people had strengthened since the last inspection and care planning had also improved in the trust’s crisis service.
There was an effective process for reporting incidents, which investigated and identified lessons to be learned. Inspectors found staff were kind, caring and respectful towards patients and most patients spoke positively about their care and said they were involved in this.
However, the environment in some services was poor and not well maintained or kept clean. The acute mental health wards had broken facilities which had not been repaired in a timely manner and we found dirt in two areas on one ward. Staffing levels did not always meet requirement in some community teams.
CQC has told the trust to take action in these areas and the trust must supply a plan detailing how it will make improvements.
Full details of the ratings, including a ratings grid, are available on our website.
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The trust board knows what it must do now and we will return to check on progress at the trust at a later date
Dr Paul Lelliott, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (and lead for mental health)