Archived: The Huntercombe Centre - Birmingham

Updated 28 July 2017

The Huntercombe Centre - Birmingham is a 15 bed specialist inpatient step-down service for men aged 18 and upwards, who have mental health issues. Some patients may be detained under the Mental Health Act and some may have complex needs that are not being met in their current placement, for example in lower-security units or community-based placements.

At the time of our inspection, a registered manager was in place and had been since 2015. The registered manager was also the controlled drugs accountable officer.

The Huntercombe Centre - Birmingham has been registered with the CQC since 27 June 2011.

The Huntercombe Centre - Birmingham is registered with the CQC to carry out the following regulated activities:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
• Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the 1983 Mental Health Act.
• Diagnostic and screening procedures.

There have been four inspections carried out by the CQC of The Huntercombe Centre - Birmingham.

The Huntercombe Centre - Birmingham was previously inspected by the CQC in January 2016 (inspection report published 18 May 2016). Following this inspection, the service received a rating of good for safe, good for effective, good for caring, good for responsive and good for well-led. The service received an overall rating of good,and there were no compliance actions required.

Updated 28 July 2017

We rated The Huntercombe Centre - Birmingham as good because:

• Feedback we received about the service from patients, families and carers and stakeholders was excellent. The service was described as open, transparent and responsive to patients needs and we saw a clear focus on patient rehabilitation and discharge planning.
• We found a wide range of risk assessments and care plans that had been completed by the multidisciplinary team which evidenced the voice of patients using the service. Care and treatment records were comprehensive, holistic and recovery focussed, were in date and showed evidence of frequent reviews which reflected patient progress.
• Morale amongst staff at the service was excellent. The leadership culture was described as open and accessible and staff felt valued and listened to by the registered manager. All staff that we spoke with reported an environment that promoted mutual support and teamwork.
• Patients were able to provide feedback on the service, be involved in the running of the service and were supported to undertake voluntary jobs. Initiatives were in place to recognise and celebrate patient contribution and we saw this was promoted through regular community meetings between patients and staff.
• Attendance at mandatory training was high and was monitored by the registered manager. All staff eligible for an annual appraisal had received one and clinical and managerial supervision arrangements were in place for all staff.  All staff were suitably skilled and qualified to perform their role and disclosure barring service and professional registration checks were complete.
• Safeguarding referrals had been made to the local authority where appropriate and statutory notifications completed by senior staff and the registered manager. Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act requirements were being met and paperwork relating to the detention of patients was complete and showed evidence of patient consultation and documentation of their views.
• A range of audits and key indicators were in place to monitor the service's performance. Outcome measures and rating scales were used to check on the effectiveness of clinical intervention and patients were able to access psychology and occupational therapy based interventions.
• All incidents that should be reported had been. We saw that investigations had been commenced immediately following an incident, learning had been identified and changes made to mitigate against future occurrences.
• Environmental and health and safety checks were routinely completed including bi annual ligature risk audits, fire safety checks and portable appliance testing. All staff had access to a personal alarm and the system was serviced annually and checked monthly by the service's maintenance department.

Updated 18 May 2016

Updated 28 July 2017