Report: observing local mental health wards

As a local Healthwatch, we are able to visit health and social care services (such as hospitals and GP surgeries) and see them in action. This is called 'Enter and View'.

We spoke to thirty-seven service users and approximately fourteen staff across the six Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) inpatient mental health wards we visited.

Wards we visited

• Wellow Ward, a secure ward at Fromeside
• Three wards at Callington Road Hospital:
  • Lime ward
  • Silver Birch ward
  • Cherry ward
• Oakwood Ward at Southmead Hospital
• Juniper Ward, Longfox Unit, at Weston General Hospital

What did people tell us?

• Less than ten percent of service users had access to a written care plan.
• Forty-three percent of service users we spoke to were unaware of the existence of a plan for their care.
• Service users were concerned and frightened by new arrivals and noise at night.
• Physical attacks and violence from other patients led to some service users reporting they felt unsafe.
• Female residents complained about males being allowed to remain in female only spaces on the mixed sex wards.
• Residents preferred creative group therapy and wanted better access to the gym and physical activity.
• Service users reported feeling that quieter residents received less attention, and that staff/patient communication was often limited.
• Although faith was respected, less mainstream beliefs were not supported in the same way.
• Service users requested a healthier nutritional offer with more dietary options and a better variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Some service users' discharge from the wards was delayed due to a lack of onward accommodation and community support.

During the visit to Juniper Ward the Healthwatch Team identified safeguarding issues which they felt compromised the safety of service users. These were mentioned to the duty staff and escalated to North Somerset Council (NSC) Adult Safeguarding and to AWP themselves.

Two concerns were addressed and Healthwatch has been sent an action plan for their implementation. The third which relates to a concern around lack of patient supervision has been taken up by NSCs Safeguarding team. An investigation is being supported by AWP (see Appendix 1 response).