Today (18 May 2023), the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published their latest report following a focused inspection of Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s adult mental health inpatient services and psychiatric intensive care unit in February this year.
Whilst the overall rating for the Trust remains ‘Good’ the rating for these services has changed to ‘requires improvement’.
The report highlights many examples of good practice with members of staff being described as kind and caring. Inspectors spoke to patients who said they were treated well and found staff supportive.
The report also highlights areas where improvements are needed and the Trust has plans in place to address these. Areas of improvement include challenges with our inpatient estate and environment, levels of staff training and ensuring care plans are personalised, holistic and recovery-orientated.
Marsha Foster, Chief Executive at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust commented:
"We welcome the feedback received in report and take the required actions very seriously. We are committed to improving our services and are taking necessary steps to address the issues raised. We have developed a comprehensive plan to increase training compliance and we continue to work closely with staff to improve the quality of care we provide.
“We acknowledge that there are areas where we need to improve and have already begun working diligently to address these issues. Our adult inpatient services, in particular, have experienced a number of challenges over the past six months, and we continue to work closely with the CQC and partners to implement the improvements that have been identified. We are also really pleased that inspectors observed examples of good care and received positive feedback from staff and patients.
“The Trust's overall rating remains 'good', and I would like to thank staff for their continued hard work and commitment. They do an incredible job, and I am confident that together we will continue to build on our strengths and achievements and make the improvements required."