St Martha's

Updated 16 March 2020

St Martha’s is a hospital for older people with mental health problems and is run by Oldercare (Haslemere) Limited. There is another hospital and nursing home in the neighbouring county, also run by the same organisation.

The service can admit patients with a functional or organic mental health disorder. Organic mental illness is usually caused by disease effecting the brain, such as dementia. Functional mental illness has predominantly a psychological cause. It may include conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, mood disorders or anxiety. The service accepts patients with an organic illness aged 45 and above and 55 and above if they have a functional illness. At the time of the inspection, St Martha’s were only accepting patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The service consists of five wards:

• Shamrock is a male-only ward with 19 beds.
• Rose is a female-only ward with 19 beds.
• Thistle is a male-only ward with 18 beds.
• Daffodil is a female-only ward with 18 beds.
• Iris is a mixed-sex ward with five beds. Iris ward will be for patients nearing discharge and who require a less supported environment.

At the time of inspection, two wards were open; Shamrock and Rose. There were nine patients on Shamrock ward and four patients on Rose ward. As the service admits more patients, the other three wards will be opened.

The service was registered with the Care Quality Commission in July 2019. At the time of the inspection there were two registered managers in place. The service is registered to provide the following regulated activities:

• Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
• Diagnostic and screening procedures.
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

This is the first inspection the service has undergone since registering.

Updated 16 March 2020

We rated St Martha’s as good overall because:

• The service provided safe care. The ward environments were safe and clean. The service was staffed to establishment and shortages on shifts were filled with bank or agency staff to ensure a safe level of staffing on the wards. Staff assessed and managed risk well. They generally minimised the use of restrictive practices, managed medicines safely and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.
• Staff developed holistic, person-centred care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. They provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the patients and in line with national guidance about best practice, including therapeutic groups such as mindfulness sessions, art therapy, music therapy and drama therapy.
• The ward teams included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the wards, for example occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and a physiotherapist with a speciality in neurological disorders. Managers ensured that these staff received an induction and regular supervision. The ward staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with those outside the ward who would have a role in providing aftercare such as care co-ordinators and social workers.
• Staff understood and discharged their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Patients had their section 132 rights read regularly and patient’s capacity to consent to treatment and admission was reviewed every three months.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and understood the individual needs of patients. They actively involved families and carers in care decisions and patients where possible.
• The service was well-led and the governance processes ensured that ward procedures ran smoothly. The service shared learning and knowledge with a local hospital of the same provider.

However:

• Patients were not able to openly access water in communal areas. Patients had to ask staff if they wanted a drink as they were locked away. Staff did not risk assess locking away drinks on an individual basis and this wasn’t included in the service’s blanket restrictions log for review.

Updated 16 March 2020

St Martha’s has five wards for older people with mental health. Two of these wards were open at the time of the inspection: Shamrock and Rose. These wards are single-sex and have 19 beds each. St Martha’s three other wards are Thistle, which had 18 beds and is male-only, Daffodil, which has 18 beds and is female-only and, Iris, a five-bedded mixed ward.