This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/16/broadmoor-hospital-rated-inadequate-by-watchdog
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Broadmoor hospital rated inadequate by watchdog | Broadmoor hospital rated inadequate by watchdog |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Broadmoor high-security hospital has been rated as inadequate, with concerns raised about excessive use of restraint and seclusion of patients. | |
Inspectors from health regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted staffing shortages and poor morale as contributing to problems at the Berkshire hospital, which houses notorious criminals including the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe. | |
The report, published on Wednesday, said: “At Broadmoor the staffing levels did not reduce safety but impacted on access to association time, therapeutic and leisure activities and resulted in restrictive practices being used for longer periods of time than might otherwise be needed.” | |
West London Mental NHS trust, which is responsible for Broadmoor, as well as 24 other main sites with a total of about 33,000 patients, received an overall rating of “requires improvement”. The most pressing problems were identified in its forensic services, which cater for people with a mental health problem who have been arrested, are on remand or have been convicted of a crime. | |
The trust was rated as good for being caring and responsive, with staff at Broadmoor singled out for praise for showing genuine concern for patients individually and a desire to help them recover. But the CQC said that the withdrawal of extra payments for working in highly secure units had contributed to staff shortages at Broadmoor by hampering recruitment. | |
Dr Paul Lelliott, the deputy chief inspector of hospitals and lead for mental health, said: “Staffing shortages and difficulties with recruitment at West London Mental Health NHS Trust are having a noticeable impact on the quality of some services. In the forensic services, this is compounded by low morale. As well as affecting the quality of care, there is the risk that staff might not show the openness, transparency and honesty that are essential to provide safe care. | |
“We were concerned at the apparent overuse of physical restraint, and the failure to keep proper records. Staff must use restraint only as a last resort, and minimise the use of restraint in the prone (face-down) position. They must record the use of all types of restrictive intervention.” | |
The NHS is in the middle of a two-year programme to reduce restrictive practices such as seclusion and restraint and to put an end to deliberate face-down restraint. | |
Sophie Corlett, the director of external relations at mental health charity Mind, said: “Physical restraint can be humiliating, terrifying, dangerous and even life-threatening and Mind has been campaigning for a reduction in how much it is used, even in secure facilities. | |
“Face-down restraint, when a person is pinned face-down on the floor, can be particularly dangerous ... Every trust in England should now be implementing new policies and retraining their staff in alternative techniques so that restraint is only ever used as a last resort.” | |
There were 37 people in seclusion at Broadmoor at the time of the regulator’s five-day inspection in June. The CQC said that some segregation rooms at the hospital were located so other patients could see in, which was an affront to the dignity and privacy of those under seclusion. | |
It also said some segregation rooms were dirty or needed maintenance and that records were not fully completed, which meant it was not always possible to know if patients had received appropriate medical and nursing monitoring during their time in seclusion. | |
As well as recommending improvements to seclusion facilities and staffing levels, the regulator said staff should be made to feel their input and engagement is valued. | |
The trust’s chief executive, Steve Shrubb, said the CQC “recognised our staff’s hard work and compassion, many of our services were found to be good, and all of our services were found to be caring and staff should feel rightly proud of this”. | |
“However, we know that we have more work to do and need to deliver improvements if we are to deliver consistently high-quality care to every single patient.” |