The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report following an inspection of services in March-September 2024 provided by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This also included a well-led inspection in July 2024.
Overall, the trust was rated as good as were the ratings for well-led, safe, effective and responsive. Caring retains its previous rating of outstanding.
Inspectors visited the below services which have been rated as follows:
Acute wards for working age adults and psychiatric intensive care units (PICU) – has been rated as requires improvement as have the ratings for safe, caring, responsive and effective were not included in this inspection and remain rated as good from their previous inspection. Well-led was not included in this inspection and retains its rating of requires improvement.
Mental health wards for older people – this has been re-rated good overall, and for being effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Safe has been re-rated as requires improvement.
Mental health crisis services and health-based places of safety – this has been re-rated as good overall and for being effective, caring and responsive and well-led. Safe has declined from good to requires improvement.
Community mental health services for working age adults – the overall rating, as well as being effective, caring and well-led have been re-rated as good. Safe and responsive have improved from requires improvement to good.
Willaston Surgery – was rated as good overall and the report was published on CQC’s website in November last year.
Community health end of life care – was rated as good overall as were the ratings for well-led, safe, effective and responsive. Caring retains its previous rating of outstanding.
CQC carried out an unannounced inspection at Bowmere Hospital following the deaths of two people using services and concerns shared by whistleblowers about staffing levels at the hospital. The trust responded to CQC raising significant concerns, by taking appropriate action.
Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said:
“We carried out this unannounced inspection of Bowmere Hospital and Springview Hospital following serious incidents which resulted in the sad deaths of two people, and concerns received around staffing. Following concerns we found in one specific service, we expanded our inspection to include other services at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and undertook an inspection of how well the trust was run, to assure ourselves on the quality of care being delivered.
“We found several examples of good practice at the trust. It was working collaboratively with local and national healthcare organisations, such as hosting the Cheshire and Wirral Community Wellbeing Alliance, and we received positive feedback about this partnership working. People also gave mostly positive feedback about their experience of the trust’s services.
“However, at our inspection we also found some areas for improvement, particularly around staffing on some wards. This included how the trust identified, reviewed and addressed risks, its governance systems, and information management.
“The trust had a strategy in place and work was ongoing to reframe the strategy to focus on its highest priority objectives.
“Information systems were in development, which meant the board didn’t always have effective systems in place to capture, analyse and present information. This meant the board didn’t always have oversight on risks and issues.
“However, we found safe, compassionate and open leadership at all levels of the trust and this has continued throughout our engagement since the inspection.
“We will continue to monitor the trust and respond to information we receive about its services.”
Inspectors found:
- The trust’s inpatient survey showed people felt staff supported and listened to them. For feedback on community mental health services, the trust ranked among the highest nationally for several areas, although responses on people’s individual experiences of care were mixed
- People using services were involved in improvement and innovation. The trust hosted an annual conference to engage on research with autistic people, people with a learning disability and their families and carers
- The trust’s governors spoke positively about its senior leadership team and described their work with the trust as open, honest and transparent
- Leaders could not consistently identify or describe how the implementation of the trust’s strategy had led to meaningful or measurable change
- Feedback in the NHS Staff Survey showed most staff felt they were able to speak up and most staff felt leaders would act to address concerns. Some staff in the PICU said that they did not feel the trust would act on concerns. Partner organisations told CQC that while they were confident the trust had an open culture there was mixed feedback on whether leaders would act on concerns
- Complaints weren’t always managed in line with the trust’s processes.
The well-led report will be published on the CQC website in the coming days.