Our registered hospitals are dedicated to providing specialised care for men and women aged 18 and above, who are suffering with severe mental distress. These individuals find themselves in situations where safe care within the community is not feasible.
Our acute inpatient mental health services support people of working age who may be detained under section of the Mental Health Act or they may be admitted informally to ensure a seamless transition to ensure continuity of care and treatment.
All of our hospitals provide 24-hour medical cover and admissions.
Upon admission, we work collaboratively with each person to establish a personalised acute pathway focusing on stabilisation, treatment and effective discharge.
We provide assessment, care and treatment to people who are experiencing their first episode of mental health symptoms and to those experiencing long term and enduring mental illness.
Through the holistic approach of our Multi-Disciplinary Teams, support is provided to enable people on their journey to recovery.
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Our Philosophy of Care
- We believe in clinically thorough and effective assessment which enables the stabilisation of mental health and wellbeing in the shortest time possible.
- We believe in effective collaborative team working with people, their families/ carers, stake holders (including commissioners of the service) and the staff where the person’s needs are at the heart of care and treatment planning.
- We believe in supporting people to be involved and take a lead in planning the delivery of their care and treatment.
- We believe all treatments should be evidence based and our staff be specialists in mental health assessment, treatment and rehabilitation with an emphasis on attaining sustainable recovery and personal best for people.
- We believe in investing in relapse prevention work with people in preparation for discharge back into the community to enable them to have greater control of their symptoms and treatment.
- We believe that a placement with us should last only as long as the person needs that level of care hence an emphasis on recovery and social inclusion.
- We believe in providing programs of recovery in accordance with the multidisciplinary team assessments and formulations.
- We believe treatment models should embrace the principles of person centred recovery, underpinned by social inclusion, respect, dignity and robust positive risk management.
- We believe in equality of opportunity and therefore encourage people (patients and staff) to learn new skills so they can grow and make successful contributions.
We offer services for the treatment of mental and emotional disorders through the provision of medical, psychological and nursing interventions supported by other members of the multi-disciplinary team which are designed to encourage communication of conflicts and insight into problems, with the goal being relief of symptoms, changes in behaviour leading to improved social and vocational functioning and personal growth.
Our services are provided at a network of 5 acute inpatient mental health hospital which have a dedicated clinical network of wards for the care and treatment of acute mental illness delivering support for people who are experiencing a new episode or an acute exacerbation of an existing condition where there is often a corresponding increase in risk to themselves, which requires their safe, therapeutic management and treatment in an acute inpatient ward setting.
Continuous communication with the patient’s community mental health team and chosen carers ensures a coordinated and supportive approach to discharge. Our aim is to provide a clear purpose for each admission, supported by daily therapeutic activities, interventions, and treatments. This approach empowers individuals to regain control and order in their lives, fostering a sense of stability.
Our Acute Inpatient Mental Health care can support people who are detained under the Mental Health Act, or who are admitted to hospital informally. People may access our acute service as a direct admission from hospital bed managers, community mental health services or via a Section 136 suite, providing a seamless transition of care.
We can support men and women experiencing difficulties due to a range of conditions including bipolar disorder, psychosis, depression, personality disorder and self-harm.
Admission Criteria
- Men and Women with a mental health condition, pre-existing or new diagnosis
- 18 years and over, working age or older adults
- May be detained under the Mental Health Act or admitted as an informal patient
Our service specialises in the assessment and treatment of people with acute and enduring mental health needs. We provide care and treatment to people who are experiencing an acute phase of a mental illness and who are often in crisis. The aim of the service is to stabilise the person as quickly as possible, assess for further needs and implement the care and treatment required. We will stay in close contact with the patient’s community mental health team throughout each admission and as soon as it is safe to do so we will arrange a suitable discharge home under the care of community mental health teams or into other appropriate community settings.
Tailored Care
Our experience of supporting people with a range of complex needs alongside co-existing issues such as dual diagnosis positions our service expertly for the delivery of acute mental health care.
Some service users may present with a higher level of dependency, and admission will be made to the most suitable ward based on individual needs. Our individual packages of care for all patients including those presenting with higher levels of dependency focus on:
- Trauma-informed care: Our team is trained to provide care that acknowledges and addresses the impact of trauma on mental health. This approach fosters a supportive environment for individuals on their path to recovery.
- Out-of-hours rapid admission for emergency: Recognising that emergencies can happen at any time, we offer round-the-clock rapid admission to address urgent mental health needs promptly.
- Promoting self-management and recovery: Empowering individuals to actively participate in their recovery journey is a core aspect of our care. We focus on strategies that promote self-management and support sustained recovery.
- An initial physical health screen and management: As part of our comprehensive approach, each patient undergoes an initial physical health screen. This ensures that both mental and physical health aspects are considered in their care plan, reinforcing our commitment to holistic well-being.
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Our Hospital Accommodation
We take pride in offering exceptional facilities to support the patient’s journey. We understand the importance of providing a comfortable and nurturing environment for individuals seeking mental health care. Our facilities are designed to ensure well-being and comfort.
We prioritise single-sex accommodation to provide a secure and supportive environment for all our patients.
We understand the importance of privacy and personal space. That’s why each individual bedroom in our hospitals comes with en-suite facilities. These facilities include a toilet and washing/shower facilities, allowing patients to maintain their comfort and dignity throughout their stay.
Facilities also include communal lounges, dining rooms on each ward, and quiet rooms for relaxation and multi-faith prayer. Our hospitals also have therapy rooms, sports facilities, consulting and medical assessment rooms, meeting rooms, coffee lounges, and activities kitchens.
We believe that comfort and relaxation are essential components of your recovery. Each of our hospital ward areas are equipped with dedicated recreational and communal living spaces, providing a welcoming atmosphere for social interaction and relaxation. We also offer quiet spaces for moments of reflection and solitude.
All our hospitals have extensive gardens, providing serene and peaceful outdoor environments. These gardens offer a tranquil setting where patients can connect with the outside world and find solace during their time with us.
We are committed to patient well-being and comfort. Our state-of-the-art facilities, combined with dedicated and caring teams, make us the ideal choice for mental health care. Your patient’s acute pathway journey starts here, in environments designed with their needs in mind.
Timely Admissions
Our acute inpatient mental health hospitals maintain a 24/7 admissions policy, ensuring our staff are always ready to receive patients promptly at short notice. This system guarantees immediate responsiveness to bed management teams, facilitating efficient patient transfers via NHS gatekeeping processes.
We’ve established a standard to confirm referral acceptance within 45 minutes of receiving written referral information. Our doctors and senior nursing staff screen and accept referrals 24/7 with input from the wider service team, referring to admission criteria. Out of hours, the Duty Doctor or Nurse-in-Charge will confirm the decision to admit.
Following receipt of a referral, our team will go through documentation and may request further documents including up-to-date risk assessments. Each patient undergoes a doctor’s assessment upon arrival and is allocated a primary nurse. Within the first 24 hours all patient rights are read, and they are both physically and mentally examined with necessary blood tests and ECG requested based on medical background of the patient. The process for admitting a patient is detailed on our IQVIA Electronic Patient Records (EPR) system.
We agree a clear purpose with bed management teams for each admission, shared with the service user, their chosen carer/s, and referring hospital team. Essential paperwork is carefully completed, including person profile, emergency grab sheet, individual risk assessments, care plan, and admission checklist. The admission purpose and care plan are uploaded to the person’s EPR together with an Expected Date of Discharge (EDD). We show the person to their room and ward.
Routine searches are only undertaken in exceptional circumstances with adherence to policy for prohibited items like alcohol and illicit substances. We register the patient with our physical health lead and update the person’s GP. Detailed information on daily routines, mealtimes, policies, and support services is shared with the person. We record their preferences about involving family and explain circumstances where their preferences may not be followed in accordance with the Mental Health Act Code of Practice.
We consider cultural needs, especially people from different communities, and plan with them how their cultural, religious, and spiritual needs (including dietary preferences) can be supported. We provide key information about our services in different languages. Support for sexual orientation and gender identity for individuals from LGBT+ Communities, following guidance on same-sex accommodation for trans individuals. Medication and safeguarding protocols adhere to policies. Within the initial 72 hours, a formulation review, in collaboration with referring NHS providers, incorporates records, holistic assessments, care plans, and choices, enhancing understanding and facilitating tailored support.
Proactive Discharge Co-ordination
We work with an ethos of having discharge in mind upon admission. We establish contact with the referring provider from Day One and will encourage a 72-hour formulation with Care Co-ordinators to think about the Expected Date of Discharge (EDD), identifying clinical indicators, therapeutic goals for discharge and potential delays in discharge e.g., accommodation, welfare rights, and safeguarding. We have dedicated Discharge Coordinators to ensure effective communication throughout. These staff work closely with Service reviews include a thorough examination of discharge planning and placement suitability, with input from the person’s local team or care coordinator during CPA meetings.
The Primary Nurse discusses admission reasons and goals with the person and, when appropriate, their chosen carer/s. A discharge multidisciplinary case review meeting is scheduled close to the EDD, ensuring a seamless transition.
Outcomes from the discharge review are agreed with the person, their carer/representative, documented in the discharge care plan. We aim for individuals to return home or to their usual care setting. Involvement of the person, their carer, or representative is documented, along with their preferences.
For individuals unable to participate, decisions adhere to the Mental Capacity Act 2005, seeking the opinion of representatives. Medications are reviewed and reconciled before discharge, with prescriptions provided for seven days. Discharge medication is ordered, checked, and a summary is sent to the GP on the day of discharge.
Upon discharge, the person in charge ensures belongings, monies, and medications are reconciled, transportation arranged, and appropriate communications made. A discharge summary is formulated within seven days and provided to the care coordinator for dissemination.
In the case of unplanned discharge, thorough documentation is maintained, considering the use of Nurses Holding Powers or Doctors Holding Powers if immediate harm is assessed. All professionals are informed promptly, and the use of the police for health and welfare checks may be considered.
Clinical Care Pathway
Our range of services enables us to provide unique and individual care pathways for service users. We can provide a seamless transition for each person as they progress between our higher and lower dependency hospital services, with a goal of moving back home or into other community care services, wherever possible.
Access to a national network of hospitals and community-based residential and supported living services means we can deliver care and support across a variety of different settings.
Acute Care Pathway
In the first 12-72 hours
- Safety and immediate needs are met, and initial treatment commenced. Discharge address will be confirmed where possible. Initial assessment and care plan will be agreed.
In Week 1
- Full MDT meeting will be held to discuss care and treatment.
- Any adjustments made will be inclusive of patient involvement.
Within 28 days
- A full assessment will be completed. A plan for a supportive discharge will be made.
Within 1 month of being admitted
- We aim for no longer than 28 days admission for most people.
- As part of the pathway, patients will have commenced a clear treatment programme to complete. Individual discharge plans will be regularly updated to ensure a timely, appropriate, and effective discharge.
Delayed Discharge
We understand that every patient is an individual and that the time for assessment and treatment may vary for each person, however if patients are within the acute service for longer than 46 days, we will view this as a ‘delayed discharge’. The hospital will work hard with care coordinators to support a timely discharge.
Admission Criteria
- Mental Health Condition, pre-existing, or new diagnosis
- 18 years and over, working age or older adults
- May be detained under the Mental Health Act or admission as an informal patient
Safe Staffing Levels
Our hospitals employ a robust approach to ensure optimal staffing levels and skill mix, aligning closely with service demand and drawing on resources such as the Mental Health Safer Staffing Tool. We utilise Biotime software to provide a real time view of care delivery and potential future staffing shortfalls due to annual leave, sickness, training etc. We operate flexible staffing models, leveraging a bank of qualified nursing and medical staff who can be deployed efficiently in peak periods of demand.
In terms of capability, our hospitals invest significantly in staff development and training. Regular competency assessments and performance appraisals are conducted to identify areas for improvement and training. By fostering a culture of continuous learning, we ensure our workforce adapts to changes in clinical practice or other challenges. Our commitment to meeting service demand is further strengthened by an active recruitment strategy which ensures that the appropriate numbers of staff with the requisite skills are consistently in place, providing a dependable service that aligns seamlessly with the requirements outlined in NHS best practice guidance.
Investing in Workforce Growth
We prioritise continuous professional development for operational staff at our hospitals. Our approach involves regular training sessions, workshops, and seminars focused on current practice and new regulatory requirements, such as the Care Quality Commission’s new Single Assessment Framework. Our training curriculum also integrates the latest NICE Guidelines for severe mental health conditions and NHS England guidance on acute inpatient mental health care, ensuring our staff remain at the forefront of evidence-based practice.
To enhance our team’s clinical competencies, we maintain dialogue with the NMC, GMC and HCPC supporting our clinical staff with their revalidation processes, ensuring they maintain their license to practice and keep abreast of changes. Additionally, our internal quality assurance processes include routine assessments and audits to ensure compliance with revalidation, mandatory training, and the latest standards. Our training compliance is maintained at 95% for both mandatory and service-specific training. Our Operations team remains updated with current practices and regulatory requirements.
Continuous Improvement
Our hospitals implement continuous improvement methodologies, involving individuals with inpatient experience and their carers in service improvements.
Good Governance
Each of our hospitals have governance measures in place, including monthly Management and Clinical Governance meetings, to assure our senior leadership that services are being provided in line with contracted standards and regulations. Service Performance is monitored on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis and critical quality assurance measures we apply to the provision of service include:
- Average Length of Stay – current Average Length of Stay is 25 days.
- Safeguarding – working closely with local safeguarding team, monthly meetings are held with them, and the CQC and Police where required.
- Incident Reporting and Investigation – Incidents are recorded on our quality assurance system and we monitor the timeliness of incident investigations and implementation of action plans/lessons learnt.
- Complaints – Number and nature of complaints, timeliness of complaint resolution, actions taken/lessons learned.
- Medication Management – Number and type of medication errors, audits completed/action plans.
- Physical Intervention – audit of incidences
Other key measures we apply include Access to Beds (time from referral to admission); Outcomes (such as HoNOS); Satisfaction surveys (feedback from patients, staff and stakeholders); Information Security (Data protection); Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act (including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards) compliance; Compliance with Duty of Candour, Whistleblowing and Freedom to Speak Up; Progress towards achieving Net Zero and Social Value goals.
We use ‘IQVIA’ Electronic Patient Records for robust data collection and reporting, which captures key patient information, treatment plans, and outcomes, ensuring comprehensive overview of the care provided. This bespoke system allows us to design reports based on the need of each commissioner’s data requests.
Monthly Reporting
We can provide commissioners with a comprehensive understanding of hospital performance. Our monthly reports can include, at a minimum, the following key performance data:
- Admission and Discharge Rates – Number of admissions/discharges during the reporting period.
- Duration – The average length of stay
- Clinical Outcomes – Overview of patient diagnoses/treatment outcomes
- Bed Occupancy Rates – Analysis of bed occupancy by ward
- Staffing Levels – Staff-to-patient ratios
- Training – Staff training records
- Engagement – Feedback from patients, carers, staff, stakeholders
- Mental Health Act – Number of patients admitted under the section, legal status, and reasons for detention.
All data is reviewed monthly in our Clinical Governance meetings. We prioritise data security and compliance and publish DSP Toolkits annually.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to being an equal opportunity employer and fostering diversity and inclusion within our organisation. Our services have already undertaken several initiatives to demonstrate commitment towards the NHS requirements for promoting equal opportunities.
We operate apprenticeships and training opportunities targeting local communities experiencing inequality. This includes outreach efforts by our recruitment team with local schools, colleges, and apprenticeship providers to engage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, providing them with the skills and support needed to thrive in mental health care roles.
We provide ongoing training and skills development opportunities for all staff. We invest in programmes that enhance the professional growth of employees, including nurse training for care workers. Our recruitment and promotion processes actively encourage diversity, fostering an inclusive environment that reflects the communities we serve. We have an Equal Opportunities Policy which promotes fairness, diversity, and inclusivity in all aspects of employment, preventing discrimination based on protected characteristics. We also have a Diversity, Dignity, and Inclusion Policy to promote equality, overcome discrimination and promote independence for the people using our service.
Our providers have Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policies which demonstrate an open and transparent approach and outlines the steps we take to prevent modern slavery in our business and supply chain. All Policies include an Impact Assessment on equal opportunities, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring they do not discriminate against any protected characteristic.
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