Trust warned over self harm and staffing levels

Concerns about staffing shortages and high levels of self harm at a women's ward led to a mental health trust having to take immediate action, health inspectors said.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) made an unannounced visit to Ardleigh Ward, an acute 18-bed inpatient ward at The Lakes, Colchester Hospital, in January.

They found issues with staff saying they felt burnt out and that the ward was unsafe, with high-risk items in communal areas, a lack of appropriate response to ligature alarms going off, and a high level of staff sickness.

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) was required to take immediate action, and the trust said it had done so following the inspection.

The trust said it had alerted the CQC and others "to some concerns around staffing at the site" and had asked for a "rapid review of the ward to ensure that any issues could be resolved".

During the inspection, the CQC found an issue with a staff member giving someone a prohibited item which led to them harming themselves, one bedroom in "a poor condition" where plastic bags and empty bottles were found and a serious incident which had not been recorded in the ward's log.

The trust had used bank and agency staff 432 times in the preceding three months, while staff sickness remained about 17% throughout the inspection period, the CQC said.

Inspectors did find, however, that permanent staff were experienced, qualified and knowledgeable about the people they supported.

EPUT's Executive Nurse, Ann Sheridan, said it was important to share any concerns relating to patient care with partners "in an open and transparent way so that we can collectively resolve any issues".

"We welcome the scrutiny that the CQC bring and are pleased that they have accepted that the actions we have outlined are now in place," she added.

The CQC said as this was a focused inspection, it did not re-rate the service and that the previous rating of requires improvement remained in place for EPUT's acute wards for adults of working age.

EPUT's rating as a whole remains as "requires improvement".

The trust has been the subject of the UK's first public inquiry into mental health deaths, which is due to resume next month.

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