North Benfleet mental health unit no longer inadequate - inspectors

St Andrew's Healthcare, based in North Benfleet, Essex has improved and is no longer in special measures

A warning notice issued to a mental health charity has been removed following an inspection.

St Andrew's Healthcare, in North Benfleet, Essex, was rated inadequate and issued a warning in June 2022/

But improvements were found by Care Quality Commission (CQC) which now rates the service as "requiring improvement".

St Andrew's said it was "pleased" its progress had been recognised, and "accepted there was still work to do".

The rating for the charity's acute wards for adults and its psychiatric intensive care units as well as the forensic inpatient wards were found to have improved from "requires improvement" to "good".

On ratings for how safe and effective the Essex hospital was, inspectors found it had improved from "inadequate" to "good".

The charity was also rated "good" in terms of the care given and how services were led.

But in the long stay or rehabilitation mental health wards for working age adults, inspectors said it would remain as requires improvement, as not everyone could access and participate in education and work opportunities.

Ceri Morris-Williams, CQC deputy director of operations in the east of England, said managers had addressed issues found in its last inspection, "which is why the warning notice we issued is no longer active".

"However, there is still work that needs to be done," she said.

The CQC said it would "monitor the service closely", to ensure it continues to improve and take action on the areas identified

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