The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued an order to a mental health hospital, Priory Hospital Arnold in Nottinghamshire, to improve or potentially face closure. Following an unannounced inspection in January, the CQC deemed the care standards at the hospital “totally unacceptable.”
Despite a previous inspection in August, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reported that there has been an inadequate level of improvement in patient safety at the privately-run Priory Hospital Arnold. As a result, the hospital remains under special measures.
Following a patient’s death in December and another incident in January where a patient was injured after accessing the hospital’s roof, a recent inspection was initiated to investigate these events.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the hospital had a vacancy rate of 53% for nursing positions, with 17 out of 32 posts unfilled. Additionally, there were 48 vacant support worker positions out of a total of 96, representing exactly half of the required staff. However, a hospital spokesperson mentioned that they have made progress by filling 33 of the vacant positions.
During their visit to Bentwood and Newstead, the two acute mental health wards of the hospital, CQC inspectors identified several areas of concern. The report highlighted that the provider was still in violation of regulations regarding staff training, restrictive practices, inadequate information systems, and managing items that could pose a risk to individuals.
The hospital has not received a re-rating and continues to be rated as inadequate in the “safe” and “well-led” categories, as well as overall. The categories of “effective,” “caring,” and “responsive” were not assessed, and the hospital’s rating in these areas remains as “requires improvement.”
The report, released on June 23, stated that if adequate improvements are not made, the CQC is prepared to take additional measures, including the potential closure of the service. It also highlighted that the staff lacked awareness of the missing persons policy.
Inspectors found that the hospital lacked an appropriate number of gender-specific staff to address the risks and care requirements of female patients, and there was a shortage of experienced staff. Additionally, the report noted that the staff had not received adequate training to ensure the safe care of patients.
However, the report also mentioned that the leaders of the hospital were “visible and approachable” and that individuals had one-to-one sessions with a nurse.
Greg Rielly, Deputy Director of Operations in the Midlands for CQC, stated, “The level of care provided at Priory Hospital Arnold is completely unacceptable. The service’s leaders must urgently address the identified issues to ensure that people receive the safe care and treatment they deserve.”
The hospital issued a statement clarifying that the mentioned report pertained to an unrated inspection conducted six months ago, specifically targeting two wards.
According to the statement, a new director has been appointed to lead the efforts for improvement, and the implemented measures are already showing positive results.
The hospital expressed its unwavering commitment to implementing the required improvements and striving for a higher rating in the forthcoming inspection.
Source : bbc.com