Inspectors identify serious concerns at Alpha Hospital in Bury

Alpha Hospital, in Buller Street, a specialist mental health service for adults and young people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act, was visited by a team of inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over a period of three days.

During the investigation, the CQC found that health checks were not consistently carried out on young people and procedures were not robust.

Nicholas Smith, head of hospital inspection (mental health), said: “People deserve to receive treatment and care which is safe, effective, caring, well led and responsive to their needs.

“When we inspected Alpha Hospitals in Bury we saw a number of positive interactions between staff and patients.

“Staff demonstrated that they were aware of patients' individual needs and were caring in their approach.

“Patients told inspectors that they felt safe and that staff treated them with dignity and respect.

“However, our inspectors also identified some serious concerns.

"The hospitals seclusion rooms were dirty and were not equipped with adequate washing facilities.

“Physical health checks were not consistently carried out on young people following the use of rapid tranquilisation, and staff recruitment procedures were not robust.

“The conditions that we found in the hospitals seclusion rooms were unacceptable. Patients have the right to clean surroundings and access to washing facilities in private. This and the other areas of concern identified must be addressed."

Mr Smith continued: “We expect the provider to make immediate improvements.

“We will return to check that it has made all the changes we require to ensure people are safe and well cared for. Otherwise we will consider using our legal powers further to protect the people who depend on this service.”

The report also concluded that Alpha must ensure risk assessments are undertaken for staff where concerns have been identified in the recruitment process and the governance system is used effectively to provide a system of safe, effective care.

A spokesperson for the hospital said: “Nothing is more important to us than the wellbeing of the people we support.

"We have been working closely with the CQC since the inspection took place in February and we look forward to demonstrating the required improvements have been made when they return.

“Earlier this month, the hospital was acquired by Cygnet Health Care, which will be investing in the facilities and in our dedicated staff team to ensure we deliver the highest standards of support.”