Latest news with #AmandaLyndon
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Birmingham clinic's mental health services require improvement
NHS mental health provision in Birmingham still requires improvement, inspectors staff at the Reaside Clinic, a mental health clinic in Rednal, had not received all the appropriate and necessary training, a report from the Care Quality Commision said, and staff did not always involve patients in assessing their needs. The overall rating for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust was requires the trust was judged to be good for being caring, well-led and responsive. The CQC said bosses needed to do more work to ensure patients received safe and effective care that met their needs. The inspection team visited the medium secure unit to check up on improvements the trust was told to make at a previous clinic provides assessment, treatment and rehabilitation to people with severe mental health problems across seven said there had been some improvements which meant the service was no longer in breach of regulations related to governance and oversight, but inspectors found two further breaches of regulations during their inspection in related to person-centred care and qualified staffing, they inspection team also visited the forensic intensive recovery and support teams (FIRST) following a serious incident which the trust had the forensic service - and the ratings for how safe and effective the service was - was found to require improvement. Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said people had a mixed experiences of receiving care and treatment at Reaside."Some people told us that staff weren't always kind and caring," she said."However, people felt safe on the wards and knew who to speak to if they had any concerns."She said inspectors were told staff had cancelled some escorted leave outside of the unit due to low staffing levels, and that staff were sometimes too busy to support said they were told there were fewer activities on one ward following the departure of an activity worker, but that the trust had said it had plans to address this."Leaders at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS need to focus on improving the effectiveness of people's care by making sure their individual needs are taken into account," she said."There are many positive findings at FIRST they can look to emulate at Reaside, and build on to make care consistently safer for people at all services." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sutton Coldfield care home rated ‘inadequate' again with 'few improvements made'
A care home in Sutton Coldfield has received its second consecutive 'inadequate' rating with Government health watchdog inspectors saying 'few improvements had been made'. Bloomsbury House in Anchorage Road slipped from requires improvement to inadequate between February 2021 and November 2023. A follow-up inspection carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) last September and October found standards were still poor, meaning the care home remained in 'special measures'. READ MORE: Care home in 'special measures' as standards slip to being 'inadequate' The central Sutton residential home is run by Senex Limited and provides care for people living with dementia, older people, those with physical disabilities and sensory impairment. It has space for 24 residents but at the time of the most recent inspection was less than half full with only 11. The home's overall rating, and the areas of safe and well-led were again rated as inadequate. Effective, caring and responsive were re-rated as requires improvement. CQC inspectors found four breaches of regulations in relation to providing person-centred care, consent, safe care and treatment, and governance. The venue had been in special measures for approaching a year at the time of the re-inspection and that restriction continues. It means it will be 'kept under close review' to ensure people are safe while improvements are being made. READ MORE: Paedo scoutmaster stole dying man's name and laughed at the law from paradise Among the failings, inspectors found there was not enough equipment to enable staff to support people to transfer safely from a sitting to standing position, such as hoists or stand aids. Not all staff had received training to use fire extinguishers and plans to safely evacuate people in a fire lacked detail. Staff were seen wearing jewellery and nail polish while providing care, which posed infections risks. On two days of the inspection, two communal hand sanitiser dispensers were found empty. In addition, staff did not always follow health professionals' guidance, such as encouraging people to use equipment for them to reduce the risk of skin damage, although they made appropriate referrals when needed. Leaders had not ensured staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and whether decisions were made in people's best interest. Although the home had systems in place to administer medicines, some staff did not dispose of some medicines safely. After inspectors raised this, the registered manager introduced a new process. Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: 'During our inspection of Bloomsbury House we found few improvements had been made to address the areas of concern we found at our last inspection, which meant the home was still putting people at risk of harm. 'Leaders at the service still didn't have a full grasp of the issues or how to solve them effectively. 'For example, they had introduced systems to monitor the home which weren't always effective and we found the same concerns as identified at our last inspection. 'This included not always reviewing incidents and looking at patterns to make improvements and they couldn't demonstrate how safeguarding concerns had been investigated. 'Leaders also hadn't ensured staff had received all the training they needed to support people. 'We saw people were being moved and handled in unsafe ways as a result which put them at risk of avoidable harm. 'Staff also lacked understanding on how to support residents who were living with dementia, including how to manage distress. 'They responded to some people's distress by leaving them alone to calm down, which might not be everyone's preference, without clear reasoning behind this.' READ MORE: Car 'cannibal' strips car in street in dead of night Ms Lyndon continued: 'We found some improvement in how staff monitored people's weights and dietary requirements, but we still had concerns around how they were identifying and addressing risks. 'The home used a generic form to monitor people's fluid intake which didn't account for variation in people's individual fluid requirements to reduce their risk of skin integrity or urinary issues. After we raised this, the registered manager introduced a new process. 'In addition, people's care plans weren't always accurate or reflective of their needs. 'Staff hadn't always updated care plans when incidents happened or when people's medical needs changed. Some people weren't involved in planning their care and the home didn't always promote their independence. 'We expect to see rapid and widespread improvements and will continue to monitor people living at Bloomsbury House closely to keep them safe while this happens.' At the time of the inspection, a manager had said: 'We have grown [over the years] and had a few hiccups along the way and we have learnt big time.' But that did not seem to be the case. Inspectors found: 'One person at high risk of pressure damage to their skin was observed not wearing protective footwear that was provided by visiting health professionals with instructions for staff to encourage the person to wear them. 'There was no care plan or risk assessment in place to support staff with encouraging the person's use of the footwear or how to approach the person if they refused to wear it.' Another person had a kettle in their room, which they used for 'tea and biscuits', but there was no risk assessment in place for the person to use it. Inspectors found people were not offered hot drinks to accompany their lunch. Instead, they were given a plastic cup to drink their juice from, which 'may undermine their dignity'. Yoghurts were brought out at the same time as dinners were and their lids had been taken off. Residents were not asked what flavour they wanted and when one asked what they had they said: 'I don't know, it's white the same as yours.' The tea was usually jam sandwiches and one relative told the CQC their relative 'isn't a child'. 'I want them to have a proper tea other than sandwiches.' READ MORE: Youths in 'balaclavas' force school into lockdown as police issue statement They also described other ways residents were not treated in a dignified manner. The CQC said: 'We saw a person being supported to move by staff in an undignified manner. 'We also saw that undignified language was used by staff. For example, we heard staff refer to 'toileting' people after lunch. 'We found the lunchtime experience was quick, and appeared rushed, with staff coming into the dining room and placing plates in front of people. 'No pleasantries were exchanged and lunch was completed within 25 minutes.' Another example was the TV and radio both being on in a room, with the radio turned up loud and the TV with no sound with staff saying 'it was what people wanted'. But people said they were happy with the service and had 'no complaints about the staff or how they were treated'. One person told the CQC: 'It's absolutely brilliant (here). I wouldn't give it 100/100 I'd give it 120/100. The staff are absolutely excellent.' Relatives too also praised the venue for caring for their loved one saying: 'I think it's wonderful (at the service). I have no problems at all.' And the CQC countered its criticism, saying: 'We also observed some kind and compassionate interactions between people and staff. 'For example, we observed engagement between staff that supported people's wellbeing, such as sitting and talking, laughing, singing and meaningful touch and people looked happy and cared for.' It said people said they were happy with the care provided and staff knew them well. Renovations were also ongoing to make the environment 'more dementia-friendly'. Bloomsbury House was contacted and a spokeswoman did not want to comment.
