Black Country mental health service told to improve by watchdog

The CQC said the unannounced inspection came after several safeguarding incidents at the trust which included at Wolverhampton's Penn Hospital

A mental health service has been told to make improvements following an inspection prompted by reports of several safeguarding incidents.

In one case, CCTV footage appeared to show staff sleeping in a patient's bed as he was left lying on a floor.

The Black Country Healthcare Trust services inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) were downgraded to "requires improvement".

The trust accepted there were areas to improve and it was taking action.

The incident involving the patient left lying on the floor happened at Wolverhampton's Penn Hospital. The night before, a leaked email said video showed the same man being "dragged across the floor and manhandled into a chair" by three staff members.

In January, the trust said it was investigating, while West Midlands Police said it began inquiries after it was told on 6 January a patient had been assaulted at Penn Hospital.

The CQC inspected in February after the allegations and said the trust took "appropriate action" and suspended staff involved.

Police and the trust have been asked by the BBC whether their investigations have concluded.

The trust's chief executive, Marsha Foster, said teams were committed to making changes following the inspection

The unannounced inspection by the CQC examined the trust's acute wards for working age adults and psychiatric intensive care unit.

Inspectors said their concerns included patients not getting the treatment they needed to support a discharge from hospital or to have their wellbeing needs met.

But people told them staff were very caring, treated them with respect and inspectors also said managers responded promptly to safeguarding allegations.

The service's overall rating was downgraded from "good" to "requires improvement".

"We will continue to monitor the trust, including through future inspections, to ensure the necessary improvements are made," Andy Brand, from the CQC, said.

The trust acknowledged there were areas it needed to improve and it was committed to making changes, its chief executive Marsha Foster said.

"We continue to work closely with staff to improve the quality of care we provide," she added.