NEWS CQC ROUND UP


CHIEF INSPECTOR OF HOSPITALS’ REPORT ON NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL


NHS TRUST England's Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, has published a report on the quality of care provided by Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust.


The Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertook an unannounced,


PUBLIC SERVICES MUST ‘WAKE UP’ TO GAPS IN MENTAL HEALTH


CRISIS CARE People who are having a mental health crisis are not always receiving care and support when and where they need it, the regulator has found.


In a national report out Friday 12th June, the Care Quality Commission raised concerns that public services, such as local authorities, NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups, are failing to work together to make sure that people in their local areas have access to crisis care around the clock. Also, it found that healthcare professionals, such as those in A&E, can appear to lack compassion and warmth in how to care for and speak to people who are having a crisis, including those who have harmed themselves.


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responsive inspection at the trust in September 2014. The inspection was carried out to review the trust’s progress in meeting the requirements of the warning notice that was issued on in March 2014. The trust had taken significant actions to meet the concerns contained in the warning notice.


The inspection focused specifically on emergency and urgent care and medical care. Both areas were rated as Requires Improvement overall.


The trust had taken significant actions to meet the concerns contained in the warning notice relating to the quality monitoring


As part of its review, CQC sought views from people who have experienced different types of mental health crisis care. It found that while 86% of those who had received care and support from charities and volunteers felt that their concerns had been taken seriously by them, only 37% said that they felt this from A&E staff.


This is worrying as these professionals should be trained in how to care for and respond to them. In particular, people often reported poor attitudes from staff towards their injuries caused by self-harm. Overall, only 14% of people thought the care they received provided the right response and helped them to resolve their crisis.


Although it is difficult to determine the exact number of people who have a mental health crisis, more than 68,800 people were admitted to a mental health ward for urgent care in England as inpatients in 2013/14.


The experience of a mental health crisis can include suicidal behaviour or intention, extreme anxiety and panic


of services provided in the accident and emergency and medical care departments.


CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said: “Our inspectors found a number of improvements were needed, while the warning notice requirements had been met and there were some areas of good practice, it was clear that work was still needed.”


“Our inspectors will return to


check on what progress has been made with regard to the necessary improvements.”


www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RNS


attacks, psychotic episodes (when people may experience delusions, hearing voices and a loss of sense of reality), and behaviour that is considered ‘out of control’ or irrational to the extent that the person poses a risk to themselves or others.


As well as staff training, CQC has identified that there is a clear need for better 24-hour support for people having a crisis, particularly during the peak times of 11pm to 5am: the time when people in crisis most often enter the system. CQC found that availability and accessibility is poor during these times. This means that people often have to go to A&E departments or even to police cells while a ‘place of safety’ is found for them, rather than receive specialist care straightaway.


Dr Paul Lelliott, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (lead for mental health), said: ‘It is not acceptable for people with mental health problems to be treated differently to those with physical health problems.


www.tomorrowscare.co.uk


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