The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found improvements in acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units (PICU) at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust following an inspection in July, that sees its rating for this service change from inadequate to requires improvement.
CQC carried out an unannounced inspection to assess the quality and safety of care being provided to people. This was to follow up on the progress the trust was told to make after being issued with two warning notices regarding its management of seclusion incidents, after the previous inspection in November last year.
Following this latest inspection in July, CQC were satisfied that some improvements had been made, however the trust had not fully met the regulations. Therefore, CQC issued new requirement notices in relation to staffing levels, premises and equipment, and governance.
Inspectors found there was not always enough nursing and support staff, although the ward manager did adjust staffing levels depending on people’s needs. For four weeks prior to the inspection the planned staffing levels were not always achieved. However, people were generally positive about staff, with most finding them available, approachable and respectful.
At the previous inspection in November last year, staff on Mulberry ward were using an interview room to seclude people, which was not fit for this purpose. At the time of this latest inspection, the trust was in the process of building a new seclusion suite on Mulberry ward, which was due to be completed soon.
As well as the overall rating of the trust’s acute wards for adults of working age and PICU improving from inadequate to requires improvement, so has how safe and well-led the service is. Effective, caring, and responsive were not looked at during this inspection.
The overall rating for Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust remains rated as good.