CQC lifts final condition at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

8 September 2010

The Care Quality Commission has lifted the final condition imposed on Surrey and Borders Partnership Trust after inspections revealed the trust had made significant progress in ensuring that patients admitted under the Mental Health Act were properly assessed to provide consent to their care and treatment.

CQC imposed the condition on 1 April this year when it introduced a new registration system for NHS trusts. Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust was one of 22 trusts judged not to be meeting essential standards of quality and safety and was registered on the condition that it improved.

CQC required the trust to take action by 1 July to ensure that:

• All people detained under the Mental Health Act were informed about the treatment they would receive, were assessed on their capacity to consent to treatment, and outcomes relating to their consent were fully documented

CQC visited the trust on 4 August to check whether the necessary improvements had been made. Inspectors reviewed the files of 67 patients from a variety of wards including services for adults of working age, older people and people with learning disabilities.

Inspectors found that the trust has taken action to ensure that it complies with this condition.

• The trust had introduced a new form which involved assessing a patient’s ability to give consent in the first instance and to also to agree to the treatment diagnosed. The form also required clinical staff to complete the form within set timelines
• Audits showed the trust had achieved 100 per cent compliance in completing the forms within required times.
• The trust was also required to ensure that patients continuing their treatment were continually assessed and their patient notes were properly updated. An audit of patient progress notes found 100 per cent complete.
• The trust effectively communicated the form filling procedures with staff, carried out two audits and shared the results with teams

Roxy Boyce, regional director for the Care Quality Commission in the South East, said:

“People detained under the Mental Health Act are acutely ill and their rights were being severely restricted. That’s why it is so important that proper assessments around consent are carried out and recorded.

“While concerns had been raised with this trust over a number of years, improvements were slow to materialise. But the new registration system with stronger enforcement powers has been a real driver for improvement. Trusts can face warning notices, fines, prosecution and even closure if they don’t make the necessary improvements.

“We are pleased with the significant progress the trust has made. Checks have shown that all patients are now assessed on their capacity to make decisions about their treatment and that records of treatment are properly updated. This can only serve to improve the care of patients.”

The Care Quality Commission will continue to monitor improvement through the new registration process, returning to the trust as necessary, to check compliance with the essential standards.

Ends

For further information please contact Kalpana Chauhan on 020 7448 9239. Alternatively, call the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

Notes to editors