RAPID improvements need to be made to secure and inpatient wards at a Dawlish mental health care centre, inspectors have ruled.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission made unannounced visits to Langdon Hospital following concerns about patient safety and the unit’s leadership.

The CQC has since taken action to protect people on the wards by issuing a warning notice for Devon Partnership Trust which runs the hospital to make ‘rapid and widespread improvements to ensure safe care and treatment and good management of the service’.

Catherine Campbell, CQC’s deputy director of operations in Devon, said: ‘We have told the trust where it needs to make rapid improvements and will continue to monitor closely to ensure people stay safe while this happens.’

Hazel Powell, chief nursing officer and allied professions lead at Devon Partnership NHS Trust, said in response: ‘We have put an intensive programme of improvement in place over the last five months to address the issues raised by the CQC.

‘This work has delivered a number of major changes to improve the safety and effectiveness of the care we provide.

‘These include a review of the seclusion and Extra Care Area (ECA), to make it a more appropriate and dignified place and work to address the risks posed by issues such as blind spots and potential ligature sites on the wards.

‘Our staff work incredibly hard, often in very challenging circumstances, and we are pleased some positive aspects of their work have been acknowledged by the CQC.’

Inspectors identified five areas of concern during the unannounced visits in April and May.

They found breaches of regulations related to safe care and treatment, person centred care, dignity and respect, staffing and management.

Following the inspections, the CQC rated the forensic inpatient or secure wards as requires improvement.

Devon Partnership Trust was told to submit a plan showing what ‘immediate action’ it was taking in response.

The warning notice was issued to ‘focus the trust’s attention on making rapid and widespread improvements to ensure safe care and treatment and good management’.

Since the initial inspection, the CQC has again rated how safe, effective and well-led forensic inpatient and secure wards are as requires improvement.

Ms Campbell said: ‘When we inspected these wards, we found inconsistent care planning and risk management affecting the quality of people’s daily lives and recovery.

‘Staff were committed to providing good care, but were hindered by gaps in training, unclear guidance, and limited access to resources.

‘As a result, care plans were often outdated, not tailored to individuals, and didn’t reflect people’s goals or preferences.

‘Staff had limited awareness of safety risks in the environment, which affected people’s safety.

‘Staff shortages during busy or critical periods also impacted people’s ability to access leave or take part in activities.’

However, the CQC said people ‘consistently praised’ occupational therapy and some individual staff members.

Staff have improved physical health monitoring, allowing early intervention for concerns, and have demonstrated ‘openness and a willingness to speak up’.

Ms Campbell continued: ‘Despite these pockets of improvement, general experiences showed care wasn’t always person-centred, and inconsistent policies and risk management reduced people’s autonomy, left some feeling frustrated or unsafe, and limited opportunities for a positive recovery.

‘We will continue to monitor the service closely to ensure people stay safe while this happens.’