The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has improved the rating for child and adolescent mental health wards at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust from requires improvement to good, following inspections that finished in March.
The service comprises three inpatient wards, Poplar Unit, Larkwood and Longview, based at Poplar Unit and The St Aubyns Centre. The wards provide assessment and treatment for young people aged 13 to 18 with mental health needs.
Following the inspection, CQC has raised the ratings for safe, responsive and well-led from requires improvement to good. Effective and caring have been re-rated as good.
Inspectors found:
- Staff managed medicines safely and clinic rooms were well maintained.
The service had addressed previous concerns around medicines management and the disposal of sharps.
- Staff consistently followed trust policies and procedures, including those relating to personal protective equipment and the use of mobile phones on the ward.
- Young people could access drinks and snacks independently throughout the day.
- Staff respected young people's privacy and dignity. Young people told inspectors staff knocked before entering their rooms and treated them with respect.
- Staff involved families and carers in young people's care and ensured they had access to appropriate support.
- Bank and agency staff received a thorough induction and understood how the wards operated before starting work.
However:
- The sensory room on Larkwood ward was inaccessible due to a piece of carpet having been pulled up, and this had not been resolved between inspection visits.