A HEALTH trust which provides mental health services in Barnsley has been told it must make improvements following an unannounced inspection by health bosses.
South Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of mental health, community health and learning disability services to Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.
It had previously been rated as good, but has now been rated as ‘requires improvement.’
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited in March and April 2018 to check the quality of six core services: acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units; forensic inpatient or secure wards, wards for people with a learning disability or autism; community-based mental health services for adults of working age; specialist community mental health services for children and young people and community mental health services for people with a learning disability or autism.
Inspectors also looked specifically at management and leadership to see if the trust is well-led.
The trust was rated as good for being effective, caring and well led, and requires improvement for being safe and responsive to people’s needs.
Inspectors found some inpatient areas did not have call bells so people could not summon assistance if needed. There were some gaps in rotas due to staff shortages affecting staff morale, effective record keeping and waiting times.
Acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units were rated inadequate for being safe. The management of patients in seclusion and restraint records were not always documented appropriately. Some equipment on the ward was not stored safely but inspectors did see staff use an increased level of observation to maintain people’s safety.
In community mental health services for adults of working age, long waiting times remained a problem.
Specialist community mental health services for children and young people are now rated requires improvement, but community mental health services for people with a learning disability or autism had improved to good. The trust had worked to ensure the care provided was evidence based and personalised. Following a restructuring of the service, staff involved people in their care decisions and kept care records up to date which helped protect people against avoidable harm and delivered a joined up approach to peoples care continuity.
Dr Paul Lelliott, deputy chief inspector of hospitals, said: “It’s disappointing to report that since our last inspection, South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust has been unable to sustain some of the improvements they have made previously. As a result, the trust’s overall rating has moved from good to requires improvement.
“We have now made it clear to the trust where it must take action to improve. Since the inspection the trust has been responding to these safety concerns and making changes to lessen the risks.”
Tim Breedon, SWYFT director of nursing and quality, said: “The CQC has provided a fair representation of the areas where we’re facing significant challenges. Our services are under pressure, in particular our acute and community mental health services and our child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
“We are disappointed that our overall rating has gone down and we’re responding in line with our values, being open, honest and transparent and aiming to improve and be outstanding.”
