- SERVICE PROVIDER
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
This is an organisation that runs the health and social care services we inspect
Report from 6 June 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings - Acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units
Our view of the service
We carried out an unannounced inspection of the acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units on 6 to 9 January 2025. During our inspection we visited all 21 wards across eight locations. We gathered information from people using the service and their loved ones, staff and managers, other stakeholders, our own observations, and we reviewed a range of documents including care records, and policies and procedures. We looked at 19 quality statements. We carried out this inspection in response to concerns about serious incidents within the service. Acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units were last inspected in January 2024, following which they were rated as requires improvement overall; with a rating of good for the caring and responsive domains, and requires improvement for safe, effective and well-led domains. On this inspection we found that the trust had taken action to resolve these breaches. We rated the service as requires improvement. The service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of the above regulations. However, we rated Safe and Effective as requires improvement and recorded the following breach; The trust must ensure they have sufficient numbers of staff. (Reg18). We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
People's experience of this service
Patients and family members we spoke with were mostly positive about the service. Most patients told us they felt safe, and that most staff were kind and supportive. Most patients and family members felt able to raise any concerns they had. Patients were aware of the community meetings on the wards, where they could raise concerns, and of the advocacy service. Patients told us that staff could be busy, but generally did not raise any concerns about staffing levels. Patients felt involved in their care and had access to activities, though there was less to do at weekends. They were provided with information about their care and medicines and participated in their weekly ward round. Most patients said the environment was clean and maintained. However, some highlighted where televisions were not working, and ward environments had not been maintained. Patients who were detained under the Mental Health Act were made aware of their rights.