St Andrews Healthcare Northampton

We identified some areas of concern under the safe key question which will require an action plan. The provider has a system and process for learning, however learning had not always taken place. We found that patients and staff did not always feel safe on the wards. Some patients told us that they had been subject to verbal and physical aggression, including racism from other patients. We were told that not all staff had protected patients from abuse and that there were concerns about a closed culture specifically on 1 ward, which the provider had identified and had improvement plans in place to address. Patients told us they had not been involved in their care planning or risk assessment process. We found evidence of blanket restrictions relating to access to hot and cold drinks and snacks. Patients told us that they had experienced several issues relating to maintenance, including no access to hot water and delays repairing the washing machine and tumble drier. We found that not all ward areas were well maintained or clean. We found evidence of staining of a dried brown substance on a patient’s bedroom floor, walls and bed. Patients and staff at all levels spoke to us about staffing being a concern. The service had a high level of vacancies together with a high use of non-permanent staff. Ward staff were not always available for patients, who told us that they had to wait for their needs to be met. Staff were experiencing ongoing issues with the electronic prescribing system (EPMA) going offline, and staff did not always follow the provider’s contingency plans.