The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report
following a focused responsive inspection of the Franklin ward at
Cygnet Hospital Hexham in Northumberland.
The inspection took place in April, due to information received
in relation to patient safety. Therehad been several self-harm
incidents where patients had required hospital treatment and
there were concerns that the risks were not being managed
appropriately.
During the inspection we found that staff had learnt from these
incidents and had made changes in relation to assessing and
managing patient risks. This involved removing high risk items
from patients and increasing observation levels.
As this was only a focused inspection, Cygnet Hospital Hexham was
not re-rated as the service type had changed since our previous
comprehensive inspection in May 2019. Their previous rating of
inadequate remains.
At that inspection, enforcement action was taken, and the service
was rated inadequate and placed in special measures. The hospital
closed in September 2019 and re-opened in October 2020 instead
providing acute admission and psychiatric intensive care wards.
Brian Cranna, CQC’s head of hospital inspection for
mental health, said:
“When we visited Cygnet Hospital Hexham in April, we were pleased
to find that staff had learnt from incidents which had taken
place and made improvements to keep patients safe.
“The seclusion room allowed clear observation and two-way
communication. However, we found that it was also very small, and
patients had limited space to move around the room when the
mattress was on the floor. When staff needed to enter the room,
patients had to stand in the toilet area for staff to be able to
enter safely, which is not appropriate.
“We were pleased to see that staff knew about any potential
ligature risks. Issues with curtain rails had been identified, as
well as the tables having square corners, these had been reported
to get them changed to ensure patient safety.
“Staff made every attempt to avoid using restraint by using
de-escalation techniques. Patients were only restrained when
these techniques failed to keep people safe.
“The leadership team are aware of the actions they need to take,
and we will continue to monitor the service to ensure the
required improvements are made and embedded.”
Inspectors found:
- The ward did not have sufficient space for patients to
provide a safe and therapeutic environment. The dining and lounge
areas were small and would not accommodate all patients at the
same time if required to do so. Patients could not access the
dining area without support from staff as it was accessed via a
locked corridor.
- The seclusion room was small and provided patients with very
limited space to move around when the mattress was on the floor.
It was located in a corridor that was the main thoroughfare for
patients and staff to access the staff room, patient dining room,
treatment room and laundry.
However;
- The ward environments were clean and well maintained. The
ward had enough nurses and doctors. Staff assessed and managed
risk well. They minimised the use of restrictive practices and
followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
- The service was well led, and the governance processes
ensured that ward procedures ran smoothly. New managers in the
service were supported by regional managers and by a registered
manager from another psychiatric intensive care unit in the
region.
The report will be published on our website on Friday 9 July.
