Secure clinic warned on toilets, damage and mould

Inspectors visited after whistleblowers raised concerns

Damaged furniture, dirty toilets, graffiti and mould were found in a secure mental health ward after whistleblowers called in inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has ordered Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust to make rapid improvements at the Reaside Clinic in Rubery.

A CQC inspection took place in June and August after whistleblowers flagged concerns over safety, staffing and leadership.

A spokesman for the NHS trust said it had already made progress in addressing concerns.

The medium-secure clinic cares for men with severe mental health problems who have committed a criminal offence or shown seriously aggressive or threatening behaviour.

'Risky and undignified'

Amanda Lyndon, the CQC’s deputy director of operations, said: “One of our main concerns was the environment at forensic inpatient and secure wards.

"We saw damaged furniture, dirty toilets with urine on the floor, mould around showers and sinks and graffiti which hadn’t been removed.

“When we spoke to staff and people using the service, they said repairs and cleaning didn’t happen quickly enough. This has potential infection control risks as well as being undignified for people who were using the service.

“This breached two regulations, so we issued a warning notice to the trust to make sure significant change is made as a priority.”

She said inspectors did find staff working hard to support people and keep them safe without overuse of restraints.

And she said staff demonstrated a good understanding of safeguarding and spent time with people to build their trust.

"We have told leaders where we expect to see the rapid improvements highlighted in the warning notice and will continue to monitor their progress,” she said.

A spokesman for the NHS trust said the CQC had recognised improvements in its other community mental health services.

He said: "We acknowledge and accept the CQC’s rating our Reaside facility as Requires Improvement and have already made significant progress in addressing the concerns within the report.

"We still have work to do and are always committed to providing the best possible care for all our service users.”