This was a joint inspection carried out with the Mental Health Act Commissioners. At this unannounced inspection we spoke with patients, staff and senior representatives of the Trust who attended for part of the inspection. Patients were complimentary about the kindness of the staff, their involvement in their treatment and therapeutic activities. All of the patients told us that they felt safe at the hospital. We found that there was a mental health advocate service available to patients and that this service was used.
We found that there were processes in place that monitored patient's nutrition and hydration. Where necessary we saw that patients were provided with nutritional advice that assisted them to make healthy choices. We saw that patient's had access to fresh food and drink when they wanted.
We were told by staff that the hospital undertook appropriate checks before any member of staff commenced employment. The records that we looked at confirmed this.
We looked to see that staff had received all of the training appropriate to their roles and confirmed that this was the case. Staff that we spoke with told us that they always undertook training.
There were effective systems in place to monitor complaints. Patients told us that if they wanted to make a complaint they would know how to. We saw that the hospital recorded all complaints and resolved them where they could to the patient's satisfaction.