By Molly Kerridge
The trust responsible for running mental health services across Leicestershire and Rutland was today(FEB27) given a ‘requires improvement’ rating by an official watchdog body.
The Evington Centre, one of the service providers for the LPT.Five centres run by The Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) were visited by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors at the end of last year, and their report, published today, revealed that they “found a high number of concerns not addressed from the previous inspections.”
Dr Peter Miller, the chief executive of LPT, said: “The CQC report shows that we still have work to do to get the fundamentals right, first time, every time, and that we need to increase the pace of improvement.
“I am sorry that some of the care that we have provided has not been of the standard that we would all want.”
The report highlighted some issues that have been left unimproved since a previous inspection in 2017, such as that the way the trust is run is not clearly explained, although there have been a variety of measures put in place to ensure that processes and reporting to board were not delayed.
Other areas highlighted by the inspectors which need improvement include:
- The cleanliness of ward environments and safety of patients
- Putting plans into action was described as “disappointingly slow”
- The management, storage, disposal and labelling of medication
- Waiting times of up to two years for specialist services for children and young people
- The dignity and privacy of patients being compromised.
Dr Miller continued: “In response to some of the specific points raised by the CQC, we acknowledge that there are improvements to be made in the quality of our buildings and the environments in which we provide care, to ensure they are as safe as possible.”
The response to the report from the trust also revealed the ongoing £1m project to remedy issues at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit by the end of August 2019. They also highlighted a long-term aim to rebuild the unit by 2023, subject to funding.
Cathy Ellis, the chair of the trust, said: “The CQC report is a fair judgement. We are committed to putting increased pace behind out improvement initiatives, and have set clear priorities for the coming year.
“It is important to say that the CQC has recognised the care and compassion of our staff, and we are committed to ensuring staff feel valued and empowered to provide the best care for patients, service users and their families.”
