Berkeley House: NHS autism unit rated inadequate

The CQC has told Berkeley House it must take action to bring services in line with regulations.

A unit for people with learning difficulties and autism has had its rating dropped from good to inadequate.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave Berkeley House in Gloucestershire the lowest possible rating after an unannounced visit in October.

Inspectors found staff were "unnecessarily restricting people's freedoms" and some of the flats had boarded-up windows and doors.

The NHS trust that runs the unit said improvements had been made since.

However it acknowledged the outcome of the inspection was "deeply regrettable".

Berkeley House is a stand-alone unit in Stroud for people with autism and learning difficulties who have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The CQC's investigation was launched after Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the facility, referred it to the healthcare watchdog.

The trust that runs Berkeley House said the report was "deeply regrettable"

At the time of the inspection, six of the seven flats were in use. One was occupied by a patient who was under 18 years old and the remainder were filled by adults.

Inspectors found one person had not undertaken any activity for two weeks while another only had six activities in 31 days, and there was "no evidence" to provide any rationale for this.

CCTV camera usage was "excessive", the CQC said. Inspectors found one person had five cameras in their flat with "no real reasons" in their care plan explaining why.

However inspectors also found people's care and support plans "reflected their needs" and that staff ensured people had regular contact with their families.

The CQC has told the service it must take action to bring services in-line with regulations.

'Significant progress'

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust said the majority of the CQC's recommendations had been partially or completely resolved since the inspection.

"Our overall priority will always be the health and wellbeing of the people in our care," a trust spokesperson said.

"We are in regular contact with the families of the people being cared for at Berkeley House and we are supporting them throughout. "We have been working with our partners for several years now to enable individuals to be discharged to more suitable environments as soon as and wherever possible.

"This work continues, and significant progress is being made, alongside work to redesign the wider support on offer for people with a similar level of need within Gloucestershire over the longer term."

The spokesperson added that Berkeley House is still open.