A child and adolescent mental health ward at a north London trust has been rated Outstanding overall by the Care Quality Commission.
North East London NHS Foundation Trust’s Brookside Unit was rated Outstanding for being caring and well-led. It was rated Good for being safe, effective and responsive, following the inspection in August 2017.
Inspectors found that:
Strong and inspirational leadership at the trust had transformed the Brookside Unit - and over an 18 month period the ratings moved from Inadequate to Outstanding.
Staff were fully committed to ensuring that they provided quality services and continued to improve through innovation. Young people receiving care were encouraged to become actively involved in quality improvement projects and their input was valued.
Staff treated young people and their families as partners in their care. They understood the importance of being kind and respectful.
There was genuine empathy and understanding of individual needs and wishes, which was reflected in the work undertaken with young people and their families.
There was a strong, visible person-centred culture. Staff were highly motivated and inspired to offer care that was kind and promoted people’s dignity.
Staff morale was high and they commented that this had steadily improved since the ward had re-opened in September 2016.
The leadership, governance and culture of the service drove improvement and underpinned the delivery of high quality person-centred care.
There were high levels of staff satisfaction and staff were proud of the organisation as a place to work and spoke highly of the culture. Staff at all levels were actively encouraged to raise concerns. Managers made themselves available and were actively involved in ward based activities.
Although the ward had staffing vacancies, managers had planned for this and ensured that there were sufficient staff on duty.
Families could stay in a family suite on site if needed. The building was visibly clean and well furnished. Young people could personalise their bedrooms.
CQC has also published also published a report for the Acute and Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) core service at the trust. The rating for this service is Requires Improvement. The rating of Requires Improvement for the trust overall remains unchanged from the comprehensive inspection in April 2016, though there have been improvements in the domain ratings for safe (now Requires Improvement), effective and caring (now Good).
You can read the reports in full on our website.
Paul Lelliott, Deputy Chief Inspector (lead for mental health), said:
“Young people told us that they received excellent care, that staff were amazing and that they felt safe on the ward. I am very pleased that our inspectors also concluded that unit was providing outstanding care. North East London NHS Foundation Trust’s Brookside Unit has come a long way since the trust closed it after a previous Inadequate rating.”
Ends
For further information please contact Ray Cooling, Regional Engagement Manager (London), on 020 7448 9136 or call the press office on 020 7448 9401 during office hours.
Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here.
Please note: the press office is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters. For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.