Watchdog orders “significant and immediate” safety improvements at Salford hospital

Health chiefs have been ordered to make safety improvements in wards for older people with mental health problems at a Salford hospital.

The Care Quality Commission carried out an unannounced focused inspection due to concerns received about the safety of the wards and the care and treatment at Woodlands Hospital, Little Hulton.

Following this inspection, the safe rating for these wards has dropped from good to inadequate, and CQC has issued Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust with a warning notice calling for “significant and immediate” improvements in this area.

The overall rating for the wards has now declined from good to requires improvement.

Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said:

“When we inspected the wards for older people with mental health problems, we found staff hadn’t completed all the mandatory training required for their role. This included life support, moving and handling, prevention of violence and aggression, as well as safeguarding. The provider must ensure all staff are trained in these areas as it was affecting their ability to keep people safe.

“Inspectors found risk assessments, care plans and handover records weren’t completed appropriately for staff to have all the information required to safely look after people in their care. This was particularly concerning given the staffing pressures on the service and high use of temporary staff.

“Additionally, people were being cared for in ward environments which weren’t safe. There were issues with broken furniture and fittings, ligature risks not mitigated and alarm systems which didn’t always work which could put people at risk of harm. Leaders must address these issues as a matter of priority.

Due to the findings, the CQC has served Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust a warning notice detailing changes that must be made to improve patient care and safety at pace. The CQC will continue to monitor the service and return to check on the progress.

Inspectors found:

• The service did not have enough nursing and medical staff. Staff turnover and sickness rates were high. We had significant concerns about lack of qualified nurse cover, with frequent occasions where one nurse was allocated to more than one ward and registered nurse associates allocated as the nurse in charge
• Clinic room checks were not always undertaken regularly, including resuscitation equipment checks and cleaning and servicing of equipment
• There were concerns about medicines management, including safe storage and checks of controlled drugs, as well as medicines fridges left unlocked including one which contained food and drink
• People’s notes were not comprehensive and not all staff could access them easily. The electronic records system and incident reporting system were not accessible for many bank and agency staff. This meant they were unable to access care plans, risk assessments and progress notes, or to enter their own records.