The health watchdog has issued Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust with a warning notice after concerns about safety and treatment on some of its wards. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) served the trust the notice following unannounced inspections.
Following the inspections in January, this week the acute wards for adults and psychiatric intensive care units were rated as 'requires improvement'. It is the same rating that was given during the watchdog's last inspection of the services, and the trust says it is "committed to quickly achieving the CQC’s requirements".
Staff shortages, long and complex caseloads and gaps in training were identified this time as reasons for the trust’s failure to ensure adequate safety of patients, with the question 'are services safe?' given the lowest rating of 'inadequate' in the new report. The overall rating was 'requires improvement'.
