Archived: Max Glatt Unit

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that ensured patient safety and welfare. All admissions to the unit were planned. In the first 24 hours an initial care plan was put in place which assessed a patient's immediate mental and physical health state.

Staffing levels were planned and adjusted to accommodate the specific needs of patients using the service and these were generally being met. There were arrangements in place to cover for staffing shortfalls.

Staff received appropriate professional development. There were arrangements in place to identify staff training needs and what staff needed support with.

The unit's own patient satisfaction survey and the Trust's phone surveys both showed good satisfaction rates for patients using the service. This demonstrated that the quality of the provider's service was monitored and the views of patients were sought to identify areas for improvement.

People using the service were admitted via specialist community drug and alcohol teams and staff worked in close collaboration with those teams. Staff told us that the GPs of people using the service were notified in writing of their discharge from the unit. Medicines were correctly prescribed by doctors and administered and signed for by nurses. People who use the service told us that they had their medicines at the prescribed times and medicine charts confirmed this.

The unit had experienced nursing staff shortages recently due to vacancies and staff absences. This had resulted in a high use of temporary bank staff as well as a reduced number of registered nurses that were able to be in charge of the unit. Staff shortages had an impact on the care of people who use the service and the operation of the unit. For example, people's risk assessments and care plans were not always completed and recorded.

There were policies and procedures in place on record keeping and each person had individual medical records. People's medical records were kept electronically and there was restricted access to them.