Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told West London NHS Trust to make improvements to its community-based mental health services following an inspection in May.
West London NHS Trust provides a range of mental health services for people across the boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith, Fulham and Hounslow.
CQC visited community mental health teams in each area to assess the care being provided to people.
The inspection found significant staffing issues across the teams.
It also found delays to people accessing treatment and support were putting some people at risk of harm.
The service was rated inadequate for being safe and requires improvement for being effective, responsive and well-led. It was rated good for being caring.
The inspection was not wide-ranging enough to update CQC’s overall rating for West London NHS Trust, which remains rated good.
Jane Ray, CQC head of hospital inspection, said:
“We found the increased demand for mental health services combined with staff shortages across all boroughs meant that some people were not receiving timely or safe care and treatment.
“Leaders were aware of these issues, and they were taking steps to address them.
“The inspection found some good aspects to the care and treatment being provided, and feedback from patients and their relatives was largely positive. They told us that staff were kind and compassionate and they were supported to be actively involved in decisions about their care.
“We’ve told the trust what it must do to improve, and we will inspect it again to determine whether improvements have been made.”
The inspection found:
- There were significant staff shortages and the workload for some staff members was high
- There were long waiting times for some people to receive assessment and treatment
- Some clinical premises weren’t well-maintained and didn’t have panic alarms installed, which could put staff and patients at risk. Leaders told us this was being addressed
- Risk assessments for some patients didn’t contain enough information and didn’t always explain how risks could be mitigated
- Information for staff about how to keep themselves safe, particularly when working alone, was often confusing and not always followed
- Where patients required the support of different services, this wasn’t always effectively co-ordinated.
However:
- The service provided a range of treatments to meet the varying needs of people. Despite staff shortages in some areas, there were enough medical and specialist staff to meet people’s needs
- Staff treated patients with kindness and compassion and actively involved them in decisions about their care
- The service was well-led.
CQC has told the trust what it must do to improve and the full details can be found in the report on the website.