Roseberry Park Hospital failing to keep patients safe, CQC finds

Inspectors visited forensic inpatient or secure wards at Middlesbrough's Roseberry Park Hospital

A troubled mental health hospital is not keeping patients safe, lacks staff and is failing to record alleged sexual abuse, a watchdog has found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Middlesbrough's Roseberry Park Hospital and raised its rating from inadequate to needs improvement.

But it found more work was needed with dirty wards and safeguarding issues.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) said it recognised "there is more to be done".

There have been calls for a public inquiry following the deaths of three teenagers in an eight-month period at the trust's facilities.

Christie Harnett (left) and Nadia Sharif both died in the care of West Lane Hospital, which was also run by the trust

Christie Harnett, 17, Nadia Sharif, 17, died in the care of West Lane Hospital, which is also in Middlesbrough, in 2019.

Emily Moore, 18, had previously been a patient at West Lane before taking her own life in February 2020.

An independent investigation into their deaths set up by NHS England in October 2019 is ongoing.

Middlesbrough Labour MP Andy MacDonald had also previously warned patients were at risk at Roseberry Park after two adults died.

The latest inspection of forensic inpatient or secure wards at the hospital, which cares for people with mental health issues, was carried out to see if improvements had been made since a previous one in 2021.

After that, the CQC issued a warning and told the trust to make a number of changes to ensure care was delivered in a safe way.

'Nightmare' patient

Over the summer, inspectors found that the culture in the wards had improved, with staff feeling more supported and processes in place for them to escalate staffing concerns.

However, wards did not always have enough nurses to carry out all the necessary duties, which also meant patients did not always get medication on time or have access to psychological help.

While most staff were respectful to patients, inspectors saw some using inappropriate language when describing them during three handover meetings, with one patient referred as being a "nightmare".

And when patients were in seclusion, staff did not always check on them in line with best practice.

At the time of the visit, the trust did not have an adult safeguarding policy in place - staff were using a one-page guide which had links to help embedded in it, but these did not work.

'Coffee stains and crumbs'

The CQC also reviewed a record that showed a patient had told staff they had been sexually abused by another patient three days prior to the inspection. This had not been logged as an incident, reviewed by staff or referred to safeguarding.

Managers told inspectors this would be used as an example in future training, however a quarter of staff were not down to complete this for up to six months and bosses had not taken any immediate action.

The report found Osprey Ward was dirty with old coffee stains, litter and crumbs on the floor throughout, while Ivy Ward also appeared unkempt with dirty carpets and crumbs.

Karen Knapton, CQC head of hospital inspection, said: "The trust has started to make improvements to improve patient care and know what further changes need to be made to keep people safe.

"We will continue monitor the trust and return to check on progress."

Naomi Lonergan, care group director of the secure inpatient services, said the trust had been "working hard to improve the service".

She added 70 health care assistants had been recruited since its last inspection and it was working with local universities to support the recruitment of registered nurses.

"We recognise that there is more to be done," she added.

"This includes an unrelenting focus on patient safety with our absolute priority being on safe staffing and safeguarding our patients.

"We continue to prioritise the experience of our patients, their carers and colleagues to make the improvements we need to and we are confident the service is making these changes and will continue to do so."

Mental health charity Sane said it was "shocking and unacceptable" that inspectors were "still highlighting concerns over care fallings year on year that have continued to put lives at risk".

It warned, though, that problems at TEWV were "only the tip of the iceberg" with other trusts across the country struggling due to a lack of experienced staff, poor morale and "cultures which often don't respect patients' needs and families' concerns".