CQC rates mental health crisis services at North Staffordshire Combined NHS Trust as good
The trust provides inpatient and community mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and primary care services to people living in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
CQC carried out this inspection under CQC’s Adult Community Mental Health Programme, part of its commitment to inspect the standard of care in community mental health services across the country.
The overall rating for the service dropped from outstanding to good. Inspectors also found a breach of regulation in relation to good management.
CQC rated the service as good for how safe and well-led it is. Caring and responsive changed from outstanding to good, while how effective the service is declined from good to requires improvement.
Andy Brand, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said:
“During our inspection, it was clear to see that staff cared for people and supported them with both compassion and empathy. However, while staff had completed personalised safety plans, a lack of care plans for people meant care wasn’t always consistent and didn’t achieve the best outcomes.
“Staff kept people safe by involving them in their own care to manage any risks. However, they didn’t always make sure people had care plans to highlight safe practice to colleagues and didn’t give people their own written copy.
“Staff supported people to live healthier lives, offering relevant advice following their assessment while support workers provided practical support to access activities, education and groups to aid people’s recovery.
“The service ensured people received consistent safe care, both while they were using the service and after they'd been discharged. Staff had access to people’s relevant health care records and involved the necessary external healthcare organisations to ensure positive outcomes for people.
“We were pleased to see that as part of their procedure for people who didn’t attend appointments, staff followed up with these people to assess, review and ensure they were safe. The trust also followed the right care, right person national model and guidance.
“Staff also knew how to identify adults and children at risk of, or suffering from, significant harm, making safeguarding referrals when necessary.
“Overall, the service was performing well, and leaders and staff should be proud of the work they continue to do to benefit the people in their care.”
Inspectors found:
- People told us staff were kind and knowledgeable.
- Staff knew people’s needs well and took practical steps to allow people to make their own decisions.
- People were given information about mental health advocacy, and staff in the health-based place of safety explained people’s rights under the Mental Health Act in a way they could understand.
- Staff and managers had oversight of any incidents that happened across the service and learning points had been identified to improve the quality of care.
- Staff completed lone working assessments as part of people’s initial assessments to ensure their own safety.
However, inspectors also found:
- Staff didn’t always include people’s personal goals in their care plans, which weren’t recovery oriented.
- Staff didn’t always meet the trust’s target to complete non-urgent or routine assessments within 72 hours, due to busy shifts or high caseloads. Managers had addressed this by allocating pending assessments to clinicians, so they weren’t missed.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the coming days.
