- Independent mental health service
Waterloo Manor Independent Hospital
Report from 27 January 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings - Long stay or rehabilitation mental health wards for working age adults
Our view of the service
Date of assessment 14th May to 4th June 2024. Waterloo Manor Independent Hospital provides rehabilitation services for up to 31 women across 4 wards. An assessment has been undertaken of a service that is used by autistic people or people with a learning disability but is not registered as a specialist service. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. The assessment did not raise any concerns. The service had made improvements and was no longer in breach of regulations found at the last inspection. Premises were now clean, the wards had been decorated, furniture had been replaced, and the seclusion room was now clean and fit for purpose. Governance processes were now effective. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks. Staff managed medicines well and involved people in planning any changes. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. People were treated with kindness and compassion. People received fair and equal care and treatment. However, patients and staff told us that some staff from overseas had limited use of English which caused communication challenges. Visits from relatives happened in the main hospital building rather than on individual wards. This was a blanket restriction. We found one breach of the legal regulations in relation to person-centred care. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
People's experience of this service
We spoke to 11 patients and 3 carers. Patients told us they were treated with kindness and compassion. They told us they were treated as individuals, and this was reflected in their care plans. Their medicines were reviewed regularly, and some patients were self-medicating. Patients told us about their rehabilitation pathways. Some patients were part way through their pathways whereas others were close to discharge. Carers told us they were invited to meetings and involved in discussions about their loved ones care, where patients had given consent. Patients told us they could keep in contact with family and friends via telephone, video calls, section 17 leave and visitors coming to the hospital. However, patients and carers told us that visits happened in the main hospital building rather than on individual wards. This was a blanket restriction and was not in line with provider policy. Several patients told us they did not like the food. Nine of the 11 patients we spoke to said that language barriers made it difficult to communicate with staff recruited as part of the overseas programme. All the carers we spoke to told us there was a high turnover of staff and two felt this impacted on communication.