Birmingham and Solihull mental health trust given CQC warning

Mary Seacole House in Winson Green had some of the worst staffing levels in the trust

A NHS mental health trust has been issued with a warning notice following an inspection last year.

Watchdog Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS foundation trust still requires improvement.

It found staff shortages where there were not enough qualified nurses on duty and a lack of activities available for people on the wards.

The trust said it accepted the report's findings.

The warning notice was to focus the trust's attention on making the necessary improvements to keep people safe due to concerns found within the acute wards for adults, the CQC said

"The trust must find ways to minimise the risk this poses to people in its care. We found some shifts where there weren't enough qualified nurses on duty," said Lorraine Tedeschini, CQC director of operations in the Midlands.

Inspectors said compliance with mandatory training in immediate life support and safeguarding was low in three of the five core services visited and access to occupational therapists and psychologists was low on most wards.

The Oleaster care centre in Edgbaston was one of the sites that was visited by the CQC

Not all patients had risk assessments in place and risk management plans did not always detail how patient risks were to be managed.

The report also said senior leaders rarely visited services with some staff not actually being aware who the senior leaders were.

However, the CQC found patient discharges were handled well and patients had good access to services.

Patients at Reaside were concerned about the lack of privacy when using bathroom facilities

Whilst there were concerns about the environment at inpatient site Reaside Clinic in Rednal, such as a lack of privacy when using the bathroom, most ward environments were clean, well-maintained, and fit for purpose.

"Despite understaffing issues, staff must be commended for treating people with compassion and kindness and understanding their individual needs," Ms Tedeschini added.

The trust provides services to 73,000 users, with 700 inpatient beds across over 40 sites. Its annual budget is £366m and a workforce of around 4,000 staff, the CQC report said.

The services that were inspected unannounced included acute adult wards and psychiatric intensive care units, mental health crisis services and rehabilitation services.

The trust said it had made some progress in addressing the issues raised but recognised there was further work to do.

"It was encouraging that the CQC mentioned that our staff treated patients with compassion and kindness and understood the individual needs of patients, that staff actively involved patients and families and carers in care decisions and that they followed best practice in anticipating, de-escalating and managing challenging behaviour," a spokesperson said.