Broomhill

Updated 28 October 2024

Broomhill hospital Northampton provides care, treatment, and support to individuals with mental health concerns. Broomhill is part of St. Matthews Limited, which consists of four care homes and four hospital locations in Northampton and Coventry. Broomhill provides 99 beds across 2 core services and 7 wards. Acute wards for adults of working age, consists of one ward. Long stay rehabilitation for adults of working age consists of 6 wards. At the time of this assessment the acute ward and one of the long stay rehabilitation wards was closed. There were a total of 43 patients at the hospital. This assessment looked at the remaining 5 long stay rehabilitation wards known as Althorp, Cottesbrooke, Kelmarsh, Lamport and Spencer wards. We only assessed one assessment service group (ASG). At our last inspection the service was rated inadequate in all key questions; inadequate overall, and was placed in special measures. This assessment was focussed on the breaches that gave rise to the previous ratings as required under special measures monitoring. We looked at 22 Quality Statements across all 5 Key Questions. At this assessment we saw how staff and managers had worked hard to improve the quality of their care and had engaged well with the Local Authority, ICB and CQC to bring about required changes. Although the provider had implemented actions and submitted action plans that addressed all of the concerns we had previously found, many of the actions had taken a long time to be implemented, and therefore had not had time to become embedded in practice. Senior managers told us that they recognised that embedding plans into practice was ongoing and if we were to go back in a years’ time we would find a very different situation. We found the provider had made sufficient improvements to improve their overall rating. However, we identified breaches under Regulations 9 , 12 and 17. Additionally, the Effective key question remains Inadequate. Therefore the service will remain in special measures.

Updated 25 April 2024

Broomhill hospital Northampton provides care, treatment, and support to individuals with mental health concerns. Broomhill is part of St. Matthews Limited, which consists of four care homes and four hospital locations in Northampton and Coventry. Broomhill provides 99 beds across 2 core services and 7 wards. Acute wards for adults of working age, consists of one ward. Long stay rehabilitation for adults of working age consists of 6 wards. At the time of this assessment the acute ward and one of the long stay rehabilitation wards was closed. There were a total of 43 patients at the hospital. This assessment looked at the remaining 5 long stay rehabilitation wards known as Althorp, Cottesbrooke, Kelmarsh, Lamport and Spencer wards. At our last inspection the service was rated inadequate in all key questions; inadequate overall, and was placed in special measures. This assessment was focussed on the breaches that gave rise to the previous ratings as required under special measures monitoring. We looked at 22 Quality Statements across all 5 Key Questions. At this assessment we saw how staff and managers had worked hard to improve the quality of their care and had engaged well with the Local Authority, ICB and CQC to bring about required changes. Although the provider had implemented actions and submitted action plans that addressed all of the concerns we had previously found, many of the actions had taken a long time to be implemented, and therefore had not had time to become embedded in practice. Senior managers told us that they recognised that embedding plans into practice was ongoing and if we were to go back in a years’ time we would find a very different situation. We found the provider had made sufficient improvements to improve their overall rating. However, we identified breaches under Regulations 9 , 12 and 17. Additionally, the Effective key question remains Inadequate. Therefore the service will remain in special measures.

Updated 28 February 2024

Our rating of this service went down. We rated it as inadequate because:

• The ward environments were not safe. The provider had not identified appropriate mitigation for identified ligature risks. Staff could not always observe patients in all areas of the wards due to blind spots. The provider had not ensured that the hospital’s policy on patient observations reflected the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
• We saw two incidents where staff had not restrained patients in line with hospital’s policy. Patients did not have access to a de-escalation room.
• We found that staff had not maintained the safety of all patients, ensuring that patient safety risks (including allergies and sexual vulnerability) were safely managed. Staff had stored plastic bags in the drawer on Althorp ward.
• Wards were not clean or well maintained. We found dirty and damaged furniture and fittings.
• taff had not checked and cleaned medical equipment regularly or ensured that clean stickers were in place. There was no evidence that medical equipment had been calibrated regularly. Regular checks of access to emergency grab bags and defibrillators had not taken place.
• Staff had not conducted risk assessments in line with the hospital’s policy and procedure for the use of bed rails had not been fully adhered to.
• Staff had not always undertaken non-contact observations post rapid tranquillisation, when patients refused to have their physical health observations undertaken.
• Staff were not always adhering to the hospital’s infection prevention and control policy. Some staff were not bare below the elbows, and we observed that some staff were wearing earrings, watches, and other jewellery. We found that staff had not safely stored food and drink on the ward. Food items had been left out of the fridge and there were undated items which had been transferred into plastic containers.
• Not all patient medicines had been included within the patient’s consent to treatment form. Some patient medicines had not been prescribed within BNF limits.
• The provider did not have fully effective governance structures and processes to provide oversight and assurance of all aspects of service delivery, to be able to identify and improve practice in a timely manner and sustain that improvement.
• Staff had not fully met all mandatory training requirements.
• The service did not work to a recognised model of mental health rehabilitation. Staff had not supported all patients (where appropriate) in finding opportunities for education and employment.
• The provider had not ensured that all patient activities on the ward had been fully risk assessed including potential risks relating to other patients.
• Staff had not always treated patients with compassion and kindness or respected their privacy and dignity. They had not actively involved patients and families and carers in care decisions. Patients had not been fully involved in the development and ongoing monitoring and given a copy of their care plan.

However

• Staff knew how and where to access ligature cutters.
• Most patients told us they would tell staff if they had any concerns.
• Staff were aware of their individual responsibility in identifying any individual safeguarding concerns and reporting these promptly.
• The provider used a recognised risk assessment and risk management tool.
• The ward teams included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the wards. The ward staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with those outside the ward who would have a role in providing aftercare.
• Staff understood and discharged their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The provider had effective processes for the management and recording of Mental Health Act paperwork.
• There was good access to the garden areas and fresh air.