Updated 17 May 2018
We rated The Huntercombe Hospital Cotswold Spa as good because:
- Cotswold Spa was a safe, comfortably modern and suitable facility for patients. The hospital had a secure door entry system to prevent unwanted visitors and there was closed circuit television monitoring of the grounds. The service did not use agency nurses or support workers. Staff understood and managed risk well and the service had a good track record on safety. Staff completed and updated risk assessments for each patient and for the environment. Staff knew how to report incidents. Managers investigated incidents and shared lessons learned with staff. The hospital had safe systems to manage medication. Patients and their families told us they felt the service provided a safe environment and staff supported patients to be safe.
- Staff provided quality treatment and care, which led to successful outcomes for patients. Patients told us staff were kind and very supportive. Staff monitored patients’ physical health and ensured they received specialist medical intervention when required. The hospital employed a range of professionals to support patients. Staff used specialist tools to assess the severity of a patient’s eating disorder and to measure outcomes. Patients had up-to-date care plans, which were individualised and focused on treatment, recovery and rehabilitation. The hospital provided a range of therapies to support patients with their recovery. Patients also had access to fun activities, which included trips out and voluntary work.
- Staff had regular supervision and appraisals. The company supported managers to deal with any competency or disciplinary action. The service provided a range of mandatory and specialist training opportunities for staff, which managers monitored for compliance. The company was responsive to the needs of staff and was open to suggestions of how they could support staff to progress their careers. Staff morale was good and staff were proud of the support they provided for patients. The service routinely sought patient, parent and staff feedback which they used to make changes to the way they did things. Family and friends survey results for May – June 2017 were 100% positive and the service received high numbers of compliments
- Staff had a clear understanding of advocacy and had developed open relationships with the advocacy services. Staff had a good understanding of Gillick competence, the Mental Capacity Act and the Mental Health Act. The hospital did not routinely accommodate detained patients but knew how to manage their needs and how to access information if they needed to.
- Managers had established an effective bank of regular staff upon whom they could call to fill shifts. They had a programme of recruitment to fill vacancies. Moreover, they had been successful in demonstrating to senior company leaders that the service would benefit from providing a wider range of professional disciplines. As a result, they had received funding to employ a ward manager, an occupational therapist and a psychologist.
- The service was well led and managers had good systems in place so they could audit the quality of care they provided. Staff knew the senior management team and were confident to contact them directly if they needed to. Staff were open and transparent with patients when things went wrong and they routinely made changes to the way they did things in response to learning from incidents. The service was part of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Quality Network for Inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and participated in the peer review programme.