The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Cygnet Hospital Godden Green in Sevenoaks, Kent, that it must make improvements to its Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) after identifying risks to the safety and wellbeing of patients being treated there.
An unannounced focused inspection of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) wards took place on 23 September and a further inspection of the PICU took place on 2 October, following concerns raised by members of the public, relatives and other professionals.
Following the inspection, action was taken to ensure the provider made immediate and significant improvements. Inspectors will not hesitate to take further action if improvements are not made.
In conjunction with NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I), the provider and other stakeholders, CQC took the decision that the CAMHS service should be temporarily closed and that the young people be moved to other services more appropriate to their needs. Following this decision Cygnet Health Care took the decision to close the CAMHS service permanently. All young people have now been moved safely from Godden Green Hospital.
During the visits concerns were raised by inspectors about the high number of incidents resulting in harm, patients’ dignity and sexual safety, the cleanliness of wards, staff training, complaints handling and leadership.
Karen Bennet-Wilson, CQC’s head of hospital inspection for mental health said:
“People using services at Cygnet Hospital Godden Green are entitled to safe, high-quality care. However, when we inspected, we found that there wasn’t enough staff with the skills, knowledge and experience to keep young people safe resulting in a high number of incidents in which young people were harmed.
“In addition, staff did not always treat young people with kindness and compassion. None of the wards were clean. On the PICU a culture of negativity towards patients had developed among some staff. We saw records where patients were referred to as ‘difficult’ and ‘trouble-makers’.
“We will continue to monitor the PICU service closely, including at the time of this inspection, through weekly meetings with the provider, and will use our enforcement powers further if satisfactory improvements are not made and sustained.”
CQC have told Cygnet Health Care that a number of improvements must be put in place to their service at Gooden Green including:
- Making sure that all patients receive safe care to meet their individual needs that is individually assessed, and care planned.
- Staff use appropriate de-escalation techniques before moving to physical restraint on the PICU ward.
- Make sure there is an appropriate ratio of male to female staff on the female PICU ward.
- Ensure that all patients have regular access to fresh air.
- There must be robust governance and assurances processes in place to highlight and respond to incidents, concerns and complaints. This should include how the senior leadership of Cygnet gain assurance that it has strong oversight mechanisms in place to identify, monitor, understand and act appropriately and supportively to Godden Green Hospital.
- Address the issues related to culture on the wards, including how to ensure staff and patients feel able to speak up and have their concerns heard and acted upon, how to promote a positive culture that respects all patients and staff and how staff will be supported (whoever they may be) to develop.
Full details of the inspection are given in the report published online at: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-130486742
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