MENTALHEALTHMATTERS - West London Mental Health NHS Trust

Next steps
You’re probably aware that
in July this year, a report was
published by the Care Quality
Commission (CQC) following
their investigation of our trust.
The report was highly critical
of the way we operate.
RISK
We’re putting systems in place to identify and minimise
risks for patients. Everyone, from top down, has a part
to play in making sure that we learn from incidents –
by attending events and taking responsibility for reading
communications sent out.
To support staff working in the SDUs we’ve created
new jobs in the trust’s risk team to help manage
investigations. This team will also help to organise
learning events for staff and make needed information
more readily available.
Under the leadership of a
new chief executive, managers
at the trust have developed an
action plan to get the trust
back on track as the provider
of exceptional care.
Says chief executive, Peter Cubbon,
“We are all in this together.
For the plan to work, every
single member of staff has
to ‘keep pushing’. In other
words, first, we must each
take personal responsibility
for doing all we can do to
make this trust the best –
a trust where our patients
and their carers receive the
levels of care they deserve.
Second, every one of us has
a duty to challenge things
when we see they are not
being done properly and
make sure they are put
right. These are the two
key behaviours I mean
when I say ‘keep pushing!”
The trust’s board members are
responsible for checking that the
actions in our CQC plan are being
dealt with - on time and in the right
way. The trust is not only being
regularly scrutinised by its leadership
team but also by the CQC and NHS
London. These bodies need absolute
confidence that we are making the
changes required – otherwise they
may take further action against us.
Staff will be able view the action plan
via the Exchange (intranet.) NHS
London will have viewing access to
the documentation on the Exchange,
which allows them to monitor us
closely.
“It’s only when every individual fully
plays their part that you can achieve
change in the way organisations work
and what they can achieve,” Peter
adds. “If we all come to work each
day determined to put the needs
of our service users first, then we’ll
become a top performing trust.”
Below is a summary of the key
elements of the action plan. A
summary of the key action points for
each SDU is being produced by the
communications team and will be
distributed shortly.
Everyone has a responsibility to attend training in order
to develop a good understanding of the trust’s risk
strategies and to ensure lessons learnt from incidents
are embedded into their practice. Staff will also now be
expected to assess properly the actual and potential
risks that users of services pose to themselves or
others and reflect these in the risk management and/or
care plans.
REDEVELOPMENT OF BROADMOOR
HOSPITAL AND EALING SITE
The leadership team has prioritised redevelopment plans
for Broadmoor Hospital and the trust’s Ealing site and
these will be advanced with the full support of the board.
BED MANAGEMENT
Our commissioners are strengthening their role so that
together we can properly ensure that there are the right
number of beds for each patient group and a sufficient
range of alternatives to hospital admission. All staff working
in clinical areas have a job to do in making sure that our
patients get the type of care they need when they are in
our services.
STAFFING LEVELS
We are re-looking at our HR processes to make it easier
for us to recruit staff in a timely fashion. We’ve set targets
to reduce staff vacancies - and these targets will be strictly
monitored. We‘ll review recruitment campaigns and
focus on recruiting more quickly to fill staffing gaps. We’ll
be monitoring staff sickness more rigorously to identify
problem areas and using HR processes to sort them out.
The trust board has given its full support to initiatives
such as mandatory training, professional development,
leadership development, pre and post registration training,
supervision and performance development review. The
overall aim of this is to develop the trust into an employer
that attracts high calibre staff who choose to stay with
us and have meaningful careers here. For example, the
trust will develop rotation schemes for qualified nursing
staff and improve internal transfer processes, as well as
continuing to be more proactive in employing people with
mental health issues.
MANDATORY TRAINING OF STAFF
Extra mandatory training sessions are being made
available, and more locally to staff in some areas. We’re
putting in a new electronic system to help staff understand
what mandatory training they need to attend and to
book themselves onto courses. We’ll monitor and report
on attendance so that staff and their managers are clear
about what is expected of them. As a starting point we’re
reviewing the mandatory training requirements for staff
and once these are agreed we’ll be letting everyone know.
PHYSICAL HEALTHCARE OF PATIENTS
We’ll be giving the physical healthcare needs of people
who use the trust’s services a higher priority, particularly
in forensic services where the CQC report flagged it as
a more significant problem. All SDUs will have a physical
activity programme in place which will include for example
a walking group. Staff have a role to play in ensuring our
patients have equity of access to primary care services.
MEDICINES MANAGEMENT
We will continue to strengthen the role of pharmacy at the
trust so that it’s better embedded into the service delivery
units. We are reviewing resources for pharmaceutical advice
and will strengthen them if necessary, with investment so
that staff and services users receive the right advice and
support when it comes to medication.
CULTURAL CHANGE
The CQC said that the trust must develop its board so
that it can promote a more dynamic, innovative culture
that encourages staff to be enthusiastic, up to date with
current practice and highly motivated. Board members
are participating in management development to help
them raise their game to lead the organisation to new
levels of success. It doesn’t stop there, though. Every
single member of staff has a role to play in supporting
the ongoing change process at the trust so that the
culture of the organisation changes.
TRUST MUST BECOME A LEADER
For the trust to become a leader we know we need to
develop local leaders in all areas of the trust. These local
leaders will challenge things when they are not going well
and fix them so that we as a trust we will then be in a
position to start shouting about the good work being done
here, to colleagues and others outside the organisation.
NON - EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
The trust’s non-executive directors have signed up to
closer working with patients which will help them to have
a better understanding of their experiences of using our
services. This will help them in their role of working with
the directors to improve the experiences of our patients.
MEETINGS
Work has already started to change the way meetings are
run, to streamline them so that effective decision-making
can happen more quickly.
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