The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published an inspection report on Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke.
CQC carried out an unannounced, focused inspection in August 2019 after patient safety concerns were raised.
During the inspection of Nash ward on 29 August 2019 inspectors found;
- There were enough nursing and medical staff who knew the patients and received basic training to keep patients safe from avoidable harm. There was evidence that staffing levels on the ward were consistent across night and day shifts over the last two months.
- Restraint and seclusion were only used after attempts at de-escalation had failed. Levels of restrictive interventions were low. The records for the last six months showed the level of seclusion on Nash ward was proportionate.
- Managers investigated incidents and shared any lessons learned. Cygnet now allowed local managers to review CCTV footage of incidents to help assess the situation. This learning was transferred from a serious incident at another hospital within the organisation.
However, patients reported that they would like more emotional support following an incident, especially when restraint had been used.
Karen Bennett-Wilson, CQC's Head of Hospital Inspection for the South (and lead for mental health), said:
"We undertook an unannounced inspection of Nash ward on 29 August due to a number of concerns which had been shared with us. During the inspection our team found there were enough staff on the ward and the use of restraint was in line with best practice. We take all concerns shared with us very seriously and we are continuing to monitor the service closely and will return to inspect services again unannounced in the near future. CQC welcome feedback from any patients or members of the public around care provided via share your experience."