This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust ‘requires improvement’
England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals has rated the services provided by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust as ‘requires improvement’ following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health services to 1.2 million people in the West Midlands, operated from over 50 sites.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the services provided by the trust in March 2017. It was previously rated as ‘good’ and this most recent inspection was carried out in order to check on improvements in all areas. A team of inspector, which included a variety of specialists and experts by experience, visited hospital wards and community based mental health services.
The CQC has rated the trust as ‘requires improvement’ overall. It was rated ‘good’ for being caring and responsive and ‘requires improvement’ for being safe, effective and well led.
The CQC has told the trust to take action in several areas, including: ensuring that effective processes are in place to monitor the quality of recorded information; considering using mirrors on wards with multiple blind spots in order to mitigate against ligature risks to patients; ensuring that capacity to consent to treatment forms are completed and decision specific; routinely establishing and recording consent to treatment within care records; ensuring healthcare assistants receive training in the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act; and undertaking active and individual assessment of risks posed to patients.
Dr Paul Lelliott, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals and lead for mental health, said: “Our inspectors found that the trust needed to make a number of improvements to bring its services back to a level that would earn a rating of good overall. We gave immediate feedback to the trust following the inspection and this report presents the detail of our findings, our ratings and our recommendations.
“It was disappointing to see that the trust’s rating had declined from good to requires improvement and the trust must now ensure improvements are made in order to provide services that are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
“The trust leadership is aware of what it needs to do to bring about improvement in the areas identified. We will continue to monitor the trust and our inspectors will return at a later date to check on what progress has been made.”
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