A hospital in Bury providing inpatient mental health services has been handed its third notice to improve by the healthcare watchdog following an inspection.

Cygnet Bury Dunes, part of Cygnet Hospital and run by Cygnet NW Ltd, has been given an overall rating of "requires improvement" following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in September.

Since April 2021, Cygnet Hospital has been split into three, including two other services in the borough, Cygnet Bury Forestwood and Cygnet Bury Hudson.

Forestwood was handed a rating of "requires improvement" in August, while Hudson was placed in special measures in September after patients told inspectors they “didn’t feel safe” at the service.

Cygnet Bury Dunes, on Buller Street off Bolton Road, proves forensic and secure wards and Acute and psychiatric intensive care units.

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In a fresh report, the service was rated in five overarching areas, two of which, "safe" and "effective" were given individual ratings of "requires improvement" while the other areas, "caring", "responsive" and "well-led" were rated as "good".

Inspectors also provided individual assessments of the hospital’s two main services, the first, acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units were given an overall rating of "good".

Inspectors found that these services provided "safe care" and that ward staff "worked well together as a multidisciplinary team".

The report, published last week, said: “The ward teams included or had access to the full range of specialists required to meet the needs of patients on the wards.

"Managers ensured that these staff received training, supervision and appraisal.

“The ward staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with those outside the ward who would have a role in providing aftercare.”

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However, CQC inspectors gave forensic inpatients or secure wards an overall rating of "requires improvement" stating that risk identified by staff in assessments were not always reduced or reviewed regularly.

The report added: “The service had enough nursing and support staff to keep patients safe but not all staff were able to communicate with patients and meet all their individual needs.”

Commenting on the report, which was published by the CQC on Thursday, December 8, a spokesperson for Cygnet Bury Dunes said: “We were pleased the CQC rated the service as 'good' for being caring, responsive and well-led, however we recognise there are areas for improvement and we have already started to address the points the regulator has raised.

“The report did praise the kind, compassionate nature of our staff and acknowledged that patients, families and carers are actively involved in care decisions.

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“It also highlighted that patients had access to specialist treatment and that staff received the training, supervision and appraisals necessary to meet the needs of service users.

“Patient safety is always our priority and we take all feedback seriously. Since the inspection took place we have taken steps to improve in the areas raised and will continue to focus on providing the highest standards of care.

“We look forward to being able to demonstrate the improvements we are making at the next inspection.”