Kent and Medway NHS Trust rapped over mental health care

A health trust which apologised for its treatment of a suicidal woman has been ordered to take action to protect patients it says are still at risk.

The health service regulator says concerns over mental health caseloads at Kent and Medway NHS Trust raised at a previous inspection remain a problem.

It has ordered the trust to review the workloads of its community health teams and to implement an urgent safety plan.

The trust admits its failings but says it is now making "excellent" progress.

When the BBC highlighted the story a year ago of Sophie, who was discharged from a Kent hospital after trying to kill herself three times in a week, trust chief executive Helen Greatorex admitted: "Things need to change."

Sophie, from Whitstable, said she was not surprised by the slow progress, adding: "There was a lot of work that needed to be done."

The CQC praised mental health team staff but criticised senior management

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) issued a number of orders and recommendations relating to heavy caseloads and staffing levels after its initial inspection in January 2017.

But it returned a year later for an unannounced inspection.

Its new report found there were still no systems in place to ensure effective management of caseloads and a lack of continuity in handling cases, leading to concerns among staff that patients were at risk.

Staff did not feel supported by senior managers, the report also said.

'Excellent progress'

Dr Paul Lelliott, deputy chief inspector for hospitals, said: "It is a matter of concern that our inspection... has again found that patients are at risk of harm in some parts of Kent because they are not being properly assessed or followed up."

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust said it "fully accepted" the CQC's findings and acknowledged that progress since the initial inspection had not been sufficient.

It said: "We were not where we should be at the time of the inspection.

"However, the findings have helped us improve and work at pace, and we have made excellent progress, which we will continue, in line with our comprehensive action plan."

Details of organisations offering information and support with mental health are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 08000 564 756.