Ash House placed into special measures by the Care Quality Commission after whistleblowers raise concerns about patient safety and wellbeing

Ash House, an independent mental health hospital in Orford that has been open less than a year, has been rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission and placed into special measures by the chief inspector of hospitals following an inspection in November.

The CQC brought forward a planned first comprehensive inspection of Ash House after whistleblowers highlighted worries around the safety and wellbeing of residents.

Opened in spring 2016, the Norris Street hospital houses adults with complex mental health and personality disorders who require rehabilitation, step down care and community support.

Inspectors found that the building, which can cater for 24 patients but had nine residents at the time of inspection, had blind spots that put people using the service and staff at risk of harm.

Staff did not known the location of emergency equipment, while ligature risk assessments were not in place and employees did not always report safeguarding incidents.

Admission criteria to the service was not clear, leading the admission of patients with complex physical and mental health needs that staff were not adequately trained to meet.

The CQC said the care plans were poor with no long-term goals, while handovers between nurses were ineffective in ensuring that important information on patients was shared.

Inspectors found that the service ‘did not have any vision or values’, while leaderships was lacking throughout the service.

Risk assessments and management plans were not sufficiently detailed, meaning that staff did not have an adequate knowledge of patient risks.

Use of the Mental Health Act was not adequately monitored, with the act administrator being a social worker who received only two days of training to hold the post.

No panic alarms were fitted in rooms or corridors, increasing the risk of staff not being able to respond quickly in an emergency.

In total, the CQC found seven breaches of healthcare regulations.

Krinvest Limited, which runs Ash House, has not responded to a request for comment on the CQC’s findings.

The CQC said that it is working closely with NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group to ‘ensure the safety of people using the service whilst considering enforcement options’.