Staff and patients are being "let down" at a mental health hospital in Dartford after an inspection discovered leaking showers, flooded rooms and patients locked out of their bedrooms.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found that showers at Littlebrook Hospital were flooding so badly water was leaking into patient's rooms, and staff and patients "let down by policies and environmental factors."
The CQC carried out an announced inspection of the acute wards at the Dartford hospital in June after receiving "concerning" information about the safety of the service, which is run by Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
The health watchdog visited all four wards at the hospital, and inspectors found that whilst the premises were clean and comfortable, they had not been well maintained.
The CQC said issues were found with leaking showers which were flooding people's rooms, whilst patients also reported finding their ward noisy and uncomfortable or that they did not have keys to their bedrooms.
The inspection found that the nurses and doctors were managing risk well, and patients reported feeling safe and supported.
But the trust was unable to show the CQC that agency staff working on the day had completed inductions and inspectors found there wasn't systems in place to review restrictions and policies.
Karen Bennett-Wilson, CQC’s head of hospital inspection for community and mental health, said that "although CQC saw staff who were committed to doing their best for people using this service, inspectors also saw both they and patients were being let down by some policies and environmental factors."
She continued: "There had been some improvements to the environment following the previous inspection and, in particular, staff were mitigating ligature risks.
“The trust has been told where improvements need to be made and we will continue to monitor the service, ensuring these are made and embedded, with a return inspection to check on their progress.”
Littlebrook Hospital's overall rating of Requires Improvement has remained the same, but they have been told by the CQC to make improvements with a return inspection due.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here