Bristol Park Clinic

Priory Wellbeing Centre Bristol provides safe outpatient services designed to give patients help and support with mental health difficulties.

We rated Priory Wellbeing Centre Bristol as good.

• The environment was clean and well maintained. Staff routinely carried out environmental assessments. Staff had access to panic alarms in every room.
• The service had enough staff to safely meet patients’ needs. Staff managed referrals well to ensure that patients were seen promptly. Staff had appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to provide the right care and treatment.
• Staff developed holistic, recovery-focused care plans informed by a comprehensive mental health assessment in a timely manner following receipt of referrals. They provided a range of psychological therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT); eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy; mindfulness and integrative therapy and compassion focused therapy (CFT) that were informed by best-practice guidance. Staff used a range of evidence-based assessment tools and outcomes measures, for example, the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale 7 (GAD7) and Patient Health Questionnaire for depression (PHQ -9) to support their practice. Patients received therapies tailored to their individual needs.
• Staff assessed and managed risk well. The service had clearly defined and embedded processes in place to keep people safe. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse. The service had clear and robust policies in place for safeguarding adults and children.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness and respected their privacy and dignity. Patients were fully involved in choices regarding their care and treatment. Patients told us they felt supported and the service offered a flexible approach to accessing treatment.
• Staff worked well together as a multi-disciplinary team and with relevant services outside the organisation to provide good handovers of care and treatment for patients. Staff told us that they felt supported in their role. The service manager and clinical lead were both visible and accessible. Managers ensured that staff received regular supervision and annual appraisals.
• The service was well-led and the governance processes ensured that the procedures relating to the work of the service ran smoothly and effectively.

However:

• The electronic care record system was not fully compatible with community mental health services. The system was designed for hospital inpatient services. Staff were concerned that they were unable to record information that accurately reflected community-based risks and extract learning relevant to the wellbeing centre.
• Staff did not routinely assess or record capacity for patients who might have impaired mental capacity. Some of the staff were unable to identify the principles associated with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This meant that if the mental capacity of a patient was to deteriorate staff may not be able to respond appropriately in applying the Mental Capacity Act 2005.