Salford elderly mental health hospital downgraded over safety

Woodlands Hospital apologised and said they were making improvements

A hospital where elderly patients with mental health issues were staying in unsafe wards has been downgraded, a watchdog has said.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found broken furniture and staffing shortages at Woodlands Hospital in Salford in November.

They said their unannounced visit followed complaints about safety and patient care in its wards.

The NHS trust has apologised and said it was making improvements.

The CQC issued a warning notice to Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), which is currently being reviewed after a BBC Panorama investigation found patients were mistreated at the separate Edenfield Centre in Prestwich in 2022.

The trust is one of the largest specialist mental health providers in England, providing services from 109 locations in the region.

CQC inspectors at Woodlands Hospital discovered:

• A lack of qualified nurse cover, with high staff turnover and sickness levels

• Staff had not completed mandatory training, including life support, moving and handling, and prevention of violence and aggression

• Clinic room checks were not always undertaken regularly

• Shortcomings in safe storage and checks of medicines

• Many agency staff were unable to access care plans or enter their own records

Inspectors demoted the overall rating for the wards from good to requires improvement after the findings.

Karen Knapton, from the CQC, said: "There were issues with broken furniture and fittings, ligature risks not mitigated and alarm systems which didn't always work which could put people at risk of harm.

"Leaders must address these issues as a matter of priority."

A GMMH representative said they had appointed a clinical lead nurse and were "addressing staffing levels".

They said they were ensuring that temporary staff had the same access to electronic systems as permanent workers and that improvements were being made to the wards and equipment.

"We have also addressed the medicines management issues by carrying out regular audits to ensure medicines are safely and securely stored.

"We will continue to work with the CQC to ensure we maintain these improvements."