- Independent mental health service
Arbury Court
Assessment report published 24 July 2026
Contents
Ratings - Acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units
Our view of the service
We visited Arbury Court’s acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units service, which was made up of one psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) called Hartford ward. We gave verbal feedback which we confirmed in a letter to the provider shortly after our inspection.
Hartford Ward is a 10 bedded ward. During our inspection we spoke with the service manager, staff and patients. We observed patient care multi-disciplinary meetings, reviewed records and toured the environment.
We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
We previously inspected the acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care unit service in June 2025. We had rated caring and responsive as good, and safe, effective and well-led as requires improvement. Our overall rating was requires improvement.
During this inspection our overall rating changed to good. We rated effective, caring, responsive and well led as good, and safe as requires improvement.
The service had made improvements. Staff supervision and appraisal rates were much improved, and leaders were working to ensure that data was accurate. Mandatory training compliance had also increased, including safe and supportive observations and engagement, this was demonstrated by positive interactions we observed between staff and patients, although some courses were still below 75%.
However, we found breaches of the regulations in relation to safe care and treatment. The environmental ligature risk assessment for the ward was not fit for purpose, with limited controls and mitigating actions in place to reduce the risk of patients ligaturing on the ward. Staff were not always confident about what ligature risks were present on the ward.
Mental Health Act
The service admitted patients under the Mental Health Act 1983. Staff received training on the Mental Health Act as part of their mandatory training, the current compliance rate was 98%.
The provider had relevant policies and procedures that reflected the most recent guidance, and staff could access administrative support and legal advice on implementing the Mental Health Act and its Code of Practice.
Staff explained to each patient their rights under the Mental Health Act and repeated as necessary, recording it clearly in the patients’ notes each time. Staff ensured that patients were able to take Section 17 leave (permission for patients to leave hospital) when this had been granted.
Mental Capacity Act
Staff received and kept up to date with training in the Mental Capacity Act and had a good understanding of the five principles. Training on the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) was mandatory for staff, and the compliance rate was 98%.
For patients who might have impaired mental capacity, staff assessed and recorded capacity to consent appropriately. They did this on a decision-specific basis with regard to significant decisions, and staff recognised the importance of a person’s wishes, culture and history. Staff knew where to get advice from within the provider regarding the Mental Capacity Act, including deprivation of liberty safeguards.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with 4 patients during this inspection.
Patients spoke positively about the ward. All patients said that they felt safe on the ward, most patients told us that they felt involved in their care and treatment and were able to regularly join meetings with their doctor and the wider multidisciplinary team.
People told us that they could speak to their families if they wished, and they knew how to access advocacy and could raise concerns if they wanted to. Patients were also able to engage in meaningful hobbies and had access to daily ward activities that they could get involved with.
We observed staff engaging positively with patients, their interactions were warm, and staff took time to chat with people, getting to know them, as well as checking on their well-being.
The provider ensured that autistic people in their care were appropriately supported to maximise their choice and uphold their dignity. For example, autistic people were also supported to understand the importance of physical, mental and oral health and encouraged to complete healthcare passports. This ensured they were informed to make their own decisions, that care was person centred, and staff were ensuring that the culture of the service was inclusive.