02.02.18
Standards slip at trust after acquisition of community health services
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust must make improvements in the quality of its services, the CQC has said today.
This was the first inspection of the trust since it took over the provision of community health services, previously provided by Peninsula Community Health Community Interest Company, in 2016.
Inspectors found that the trust, which was rated as good at its last inspection, requires improvement overall, with ratings of outstanding for caring, good for responsive, and requires improvement for being safe, effective and well led.
A number of safeguarding issues were raised in April 2016, and the CQC found that the trust has implemented an ongoing action plan to address these concerns, which was subject to monitoring from the local authority.
The commission found that not all premises were suitable for the assessment of treatment of patients, with Falmouth, Newquay, Bodmin and Liskeard hospitals storing hazardous substances in unlocked areas.
Lone working systems and processes did not adequately ensure the safety of staff within some community health services, which the CQC said left staff vulnerable.
The inspectors also found that some community based services were insufficiently staffed, with around 114 patients who were not receiving treatment at the time of the inspection and no clear process in place to monitor them.
They found that in some areas there was no reception staff outside of core hours, as well as no observation of patients at these times, posing a risk that patients with serious or life threatening conditions were not being cared for properly.
Inspectors also identified a high threshold to access specialist support for young people with mental health problems.
Evidence of poor medicine management
The trust’s medicines management was also found to be poor in some clinical settings, and some clinic rooms were found to be lacking appropriate equipment, with some medical equipment that had failed to be tested in line with trust policy.
However, inspectors did find that staff delivered care in a kind and caring manner that respected their dignity, and that there was a strong commitment to patient safety.
CQC’s deputy chief inspector of hospitals and lead for mental health, Dr Paul Lelliot, said: “We rated Cornwall Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust as good when we last inspected it.
“Since that time, the trust has acquired community services previously provided by Peninsula Community Health Community Interest Company.
“We recognise that it can be difficult to take on new services in this way.”
He explained that the commission has made it clear where the trust must take action to improve services, and that the trust has been responding to safety concerns, making changes to reduce risks.
“We will continue to monitor the services involved, and we will take further action if that is required to protect the interests of patients.
“We will in any case return in the near future to check progress,” he added.
A statement from Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said that the trust’s outstanding rating for care places it alongside just 2% of adult social care services, 6% of NHS acute hospital and mental health core services, and 4% of GP practices nationally.
It explained that the trust brought Cornwall’s adult community health services back into the NHS in April 2016, and inspectors recognised the challenge of taking on additional services, which is reflected in the rating of requires improvement for safe, effective and well-led.
Dr. Tamsyn Anderson, primary care director and GP for the trust, said: “We are delighted the CQC has recognised the high quality of care given to patients by our dedicated staff and rated it ‘outstanding’ and that our continuing provision of mental health services has maintained its ‘Good’ rating.”
Top image: Tony Atkin
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