Northampton mental health hospital in special measures after ‘inadequate’ rating from care watchdog

A Northampton mental health hospital has been placed in special measures after the care watchdog rated it as ‘inadequate’.

Broomhill Hospital in Spratton, run by St Matthews Limited, provides care for people with mental health needs and was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on four days in July, 2023.

In the report published today (Wednesday February 28), the hospital was rated ‘inadequate’ in all five categories, including safe, caring, effective, well-led and responsive to people’s needs. The service was previously rated ‘requires improvement’. The CQC has also confirmed that the hospital is now in special measures.

The unannounced inspection of one acute ward and five rehabilitation wards was carried out to check previous action plans had been progressed, as well as to assess ongoing concerns from whistleblowers.

The provider had also requested a re-inspection, as not all of the hospital had been inspected since February 2020.

In the report inspectors detailed a number of concerning finds, including staff not always treating people with “dignity or respect” and not always protecting them from harm or abuse. One patient also said staff were “racist and hateful” and another said they were ridiculed by staff over their chosen gender.

The hospital has, however, said that the report is “not reflective of the current service”, as the inspection was completed in July last year.

Craig Howarth, from CQC, said: “When we inspected Broomhill, we found the provider still didn’t have effective processes in place to be able to have sufficient oversight of the significant issues in many areas of the hospital. Some of these issues had already been raised at previous inspections.

“For example, we found staff didn’t always ensure people were protected from harm and safeguarded from abuse.

“People using the services were assaulting each other, and managers weren’t dealing with this appropriately. It was worrying that people told us they didn’t always feel safe on the wards. They also told us they didn’t receive any updates after incidents to let them know what action had been taken to make them feel safe or prevent it from happening again.

“Staff didn’t always treat people with compassion and kindness, dignity, or respect. A third of people we spoke to told us that they had to wait to have their needs met. One person told us they had been ridiculed by staff over their chosen gender.

“Another person told us staff were rude, hateful, racist and didn’t take them out into the community because of their body size. This is totally unacceptable behaviour and must be addressed by the provider as a priority as no-one deserves to be treated like this especially at what can be a very distressing time.

“It’s concerning the hospital has a history of failing to respond adequately to serious concerns raised by us. While leaders do submit action plans to address the issues, we find these actions aren’t always sustained or embedded which could put people at risk of harm.

“If sufficient progress hasn’t been made next time we assess the hospital, we won’t hesitate to use our enforcement powers to ensure people’s safety and well-being.”

Further issues raised

• Staff failed to ensure that all corridors were kept clear of hazards to enable safe exit from ward areas in the case of emergency.
• Staff had not fully risk assessed activities on the ward including potential risks relating to other people. Electrical equipment was placed on the floor and staff had not fully risk assessed this issue. There were plastic bags in a drawer on one ward which people could use to harm themselves.
• Staff were not routinely offering people regular access to activities that promoted rehabilitation such as employment and education opportunities.
• Staff had not always followed best practice after administration of rapid tranquillisation regarding the monitoring and recording of physical observations.
• There were limited rooms for use as quiet areas on some wards. Wards had limited space for people to meet visitors in private.
• Staff had not always made sure that people were fully involved in the development and ongoing monitoring of their care plans.

During the visit, inspectors did find some improvements, including that staff had developed care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment. Inspectors also said the ward teams included or had access to, the full range of specialists needed to meet the needs of people on the wards.

CQC also says that since the inspection in July, the hospital has “engaged” positively with them and made some improvements, including developing an action plan with the support of NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board and NHS England.

Hospital’s response

A spokesperson for Broomhill said: “We accept the findings of the CQC inspection however it is important to note that given the inspection took place in July 2023 the report is not reflective of the current service.

“As the inspection prompted concerns, all funding authorities responsible for patients at Broomhill expressed satisfaction with our mitigation measures after they conducted independent safe and well checks. These checks were undertaken soon after the inspection.

“We are grateful for the ongoing invaluable support and guidance from the CQC team and the Northamptonshire ICB throughout the seven month period since the inspection.

"During this time, we have worked closely with both internal and external stakeholders including the Quality Improvement Board to implement a range of improvements at Broomhill which have resulted in significant positive changes.

"We look forward to showcasing these improvements at the next CQC inspection.

“Patient safety is our utmost priority, and this continues to be verified by all our stakeholders through their independent review processes.

“Our commitment to driving and sustaining service improvements at Broomhill remains firm and we continue to value the support and guidance from all our stakeholders every step of the way.”

Special measures means the hospital will be kept under close review to make sure people are safe and there will be a re-inspection within six months to check for significant improvements.

Read the full report on the CQC website here.