The Care Quality Commission
  • Mental Health
  • Independent mental health service

Archived: The Huntercombe Centre - Cambridge

90 Hungate Road, Emneth, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE14 8EQ (01945) 430519

Provided and run by:
Huntercombe (Granby One) Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

30 May 2013

During a routine inspection

There were systems in place to ensure that patients were supported in making valid decisions about their support, care and treatment. Patients' decisions about these were respected.

Patients received a range and variety of support, care and treatment to effectively promote their well being, health and independence to be safely discharged from hospital. Patients said that it was, "Okay" at the hospital.

Improvements had been made to ensure that safeguarding vulnerable adults (SOVA) reporting procedures were followed in a more timely way. Other SOVA systems were in place to protect patients at the hospital.

There was a sufficient number of experienced, skilled and trained members of staff to meet patients' individual support, care and treatment needs. Staff were supervised and trained to do their job, which they said they found rewarding.

Improvements had been made regarding the standard and quality of detained patients' records. Detained patients told us that they were fully aware of their legal rights.

13 December 2012 and 10 January 2013

During an inspection in response to concerns

Patients told us that they were informed, actively involved and had the opportunities to be independently represented regarding their support, care and treatment. They also told us that they were treated with respect and were actively consulted about their treatment programmes.

There were assessment and care and treatment plans in place to ensure that patients' received safe and appropriate support, care and treatment. Patients' health and well being was promoted with the provision of rehabilitation programmes and social activities. Patients who we spoke with were satisfied with the progress they had made in response to their support, care and treatment that they had received.

Staff training and management of the majority of patients' personal monies ensured that they were safe from the risk of financial abuse. Although patients said they felt safe, they were sometimes, but not always, protected from the risk of harm.

There was a sufficient number of staff working to ensure that patients' individual and changing needs were safely and appropriately met. Staff found their work rewarding and were trained to safely do their work. Patients said that they liked the staff and had good relationships with them.

The service had culture of learning to continue to improve the standard and quality of the service. However, patients were placed risk from unsafe and inappropriate care due to inadequate keeping and maintenance of care records.

27 October 2011

During a themed inspection looking at Learning Disability Services

There were nine people at Hungate Road when we visited. We met and introduced ourselves to five of the people using the service. We spoke to four people in greater depth to get their views of the service.

People using the service that we spoke with told us that it was nice place to live. One person said 'It's nice here because I can be myself.' We were told about the activities people enjoy such as history sessions, pool, walking, going to church although one person told us that 'they wished here were more outings.' We were shown some of the pictures one person had drawn, which were on the wall by their room, some stories another person had written and a carved coat of arms outside the room of another patient, which the patient had made.

Everyone using the service had a health action plan and they are encouraged to follow a healthy eating regime. They told us how they discuss their menus each week and talk about how they could make their food healthier, for example, by grilling bacon and not frying it.

People we spoke with told us of their aspirations and plans to move out of the hospital. One person who was preparing for their move when we spoke with them told us they were moving to, 'a new home near my mother.'

People told us they get on well with the staff working in the service; one person told us that 'staff are mostly polite and well mannered, always approachable and not argumentative.' Another person told us how staff always look for, 'signs that I am not feeling well, for example if I am less chatty or withdrawn, and then they suggest ways to help me'.

We were told by one person that they 'felt safe and never been hurt' and another person told us they had information about safeguarding in their room.