Ashfield mental health hospital inspected after safety concerns raised

Priory Hospital East Midlands, on Mansfield Road, Annesley, remains under special measures after a fresh inspection by the Care Quality Commission health watchdog.

The commission held an unannounced inspection in August after receiving concerns about safety at the hospital shortly after another visit in June.

During the June inspection, staff at the 28-bed specialist acute and psychiatric intensive care service for female patients were told they must ensure medicines were managed properly.

However, the newly published August report states: “We carried out this unannounced inspection because we received information giving us concerns about the safety and quality of the service.

“We were notified of three recent medicines errors, which involved nurses administering intramuscular injections to a patient. This medicine had not been prescribed by a doctor.

“We also received information of concern relating to the restraint of people using the service.”

Inspectors found ‘doctors had not always ensured medicine charts were clear and concise, which increased the risks of errors’ and ‘some staff inaccurately recorded methods of physical interventions, which could lead to ambiguity around unapproved restraint methods being used’ as well as that ‘staff did not consistently record conversations held with patients when medicine errors had been made’.

Following the August visit, the CQC did not issue a new rating for the hospital, so it remains ‘inadequate’ as rated in June.

A spokesman said the hospital had put a detailed action plan in place following the inspection.

Inspectors found staff had improved the recording of physical health care observations after a patient was tranquillised.

Managers had also taken ‘appropriate actions’ with staff when they had been made aware of medicines errors.

A hospital spokesman said: “A detailed action plan is in place, implemented by a new hospital manager working with a multi-disciplinary team, who are ensuring all necessary improvements are made.

“Care plans are audited regularly and we have made robust improvements to our medicines management processes, including around the planned introduction of electronic prescribing, and ensuring that all lessons are learned across the hospital.

“Verbal discussions with the CQC confirm positive change has already taken place.

“Our governance systems have been reviewed and we are working closely with external agencies to ensure improvements are demonstrable and sustained.”