Mental health hospital expansion approved despite protesters' fears over care standards
Controversial plans for a new 12-bed unit and school at a mental health hospital have been given the go-ahead, despite protestors raising concerns over patient care.
The Ivetsey Bank Hospital, formerly known as Huntercombe Stafford Hospital – which is run by Active Care Group – was told it "requires improvement" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after an inspection in June.
In the report by the CQC, it was noted that staff "did not always manage" dynamics between young people on the wards which consequently made them feel "unsafe".
Staff were also found to "not always" manage the physical health needs of residents, who did not have "regular access" to outside space.
However, it was noted that the hospital near Wheaton Aston had made improvements since its previous inspection in November last year, where it was found to be "inadequate", with staff now having sufficient training and updating risk plans after incidents.
Speaking after the inspection in June, Andy Brand, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said that although improvements had been made at Ivetsey Bank, it will "continue to be monitored".
He said: "When we visited Ivetsey Bank Hospital, we were pleased to see there had been progress since our previous inspection in November, and the requirements of the warning notices had been met.
"However, due to further issues being found, we took further enforcement action so they could focus their attention on making urgent improvements in the areas identified.
"It was concerning people told us they didn’t have enough access to fresh air, as there weren’t enough staff to escort them off the wards and take them to the gardens.
"People also didn’t receive weekly one to one sessions with their named nurse. Both of these are really important to help with people’s health and wellbeing, and the provider must take action to ensure these happen.
