The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has welcomed a number of improvements at Priory Hospital Burgess Hill, following a recent inspection. However, further improvements are needed.
Inspectors visited the hospital to carry out a comprehensive inspection in August. This was to check on progress the hospital had made following a focused inspection in May. After that inspection, CQC told the provider, Partnerships in Care Limited, that it must make immediate and ongoing improvements at the hospital. The provider then sent an action plan to CQC detailing how it was going to improve services at Priory Hospital Burgess Hill.
Priory Hospital Burgess Hill is a purpose-built hospital providing assessment and treatment in acute and psychiatric intensive care units (PICU) as well as secure services for people with mental health conditions. During the inspection, three wards were open and three were closed. The open wards were, Michael Shepherd ward, Wendy Orr ward and Edith Cavell ward.
After the inspection, the overall ratings for the acute wards and PICU as well as the secure inpatient wards at Priory Hospital Burgess Hill have dropped from good to requires improvement. The rating for how well-led the services were has dropped from good to requires improvement. The ratings for effective, caring and responsive remain as good, safe remains requires improvement.
Karen Bennett-Wilson, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said:
“During our inspection of Priory Hospital Burgess Hill, we found the hospital had made a number of improvements since our last visit, however, there were still areas where further work was needed.
“Leaders did not always have clear oversight of care in the hospital so they could see where improvements needed to be made and take follow-up action. This was particularly concerning when the service wasn’t able to learn from incidents meaning people were being exposed to the same risk of harm.
“Although patients and carers spoke very highly about the medical team, saying how kind and supportive they were, they also alerted us to some new areas of concern. Patients told us that their Section 17 leave had been cancelled at short notice. Section 17 leave allows patients to leave the hospital for short periods of time, and it is accepted as an important part of a patient's treatment plan. Staff did not always document the rationale for the cancellation.
“Following the inspection, we gave the provider feedback on our findings. The management team knows what it must do to improve its services further. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the hospital and will not hesitate to take action if Priory Hospital Burgess Hill fails to make the necessary improvements.”
Inspectors found:
- The ward environments were not always safe or well maintained. The bedrooms and ward areas on Michael Shepherd ward had fixed ligature anchor points. This could put patients at risk of harm of choking
- Staff did not assess and manage risk to patients well. Patient risk assessments were not always reviewed regularly, including after any incident. This meant staff could not learn from incidents and improve patient safety
- Inspectors found missed patient observations on Edith Cavell ward. On three separate occasions in one day, patients were only checked three times per hour instead of four, as per their prescribed observation levels. This meant that patients could be exposed to risk of harm
- Staff and patients told inspectors that the hospital did not actively support patients on the forensic inpatients and secure ward to access opportunities for work and education. Although all patients had an individualised activity timetable, it was not always clear how staff were supporting patients to gain meaningful education and employment
- Management or governance processes did not always support good quality of care delivery and ensure there is clear oversight of care by leaders of the hospital, so action can be taken quickly to make improvements.
However, inspectors also found:
- Patients were supported by staff to understand and manage their own care treatment or condition. Patients and carers spoke very highly of the medical team. Patients said they generally felt safe on the wards
- Staff managed beds well. A bed was available when needed and patients were not moved between wards unless this was for their benefit. The discharging of a patient was rarely delayed, other than for clinical reasons. Staff said that there was a cap to the number of admissions per week in order to give enough time for staff to understand the needs of the new admissions, and for it to be less unsettling for the other patients
- Patients’ physical and mental health was assessed by staff on admission. Staff from different disciplines worked together as a team to benefit patients. They managed risks to patients and themselves well by achieving the right balance between maintaining safety and providing the least restrictive environment possible to support patients’ recovery
- Patients benefitted from staff regularly reviewing and providing specific advice about their medicines. A clinical pharmacist visited weekly to screen prescription charts and check medicines safety on all wards. Patients could arrange a time to speak to the pharmacist during their visit if needed
- Staff on the wards had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients. Managers ensured that these staff received training and supervision.
Full details of the inspection are given in the report published on our website.
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