Patients felt 'hopeless' on inadequate mental health ward

A rehabilitation unit for people with mental health conditions has been placed in special measures after patients said they felt a "sense of hopelessness" about their chances of leaving.

Pine House Rehabilitation Unit in Bacup, Lancashire, has been downgraded to an inadequate rating by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Patients told the inspection team that they felt "isolated and lonely" and were only able to see their psychiatrists for 10 minutes a month - sometimes over video calls.

Krinvest Care Group, which owns the unit's registered operator Kibo Hospital Service Ltd, said it had taken the CQC's concerns "seriously" and had already implemented improvements.

The CQC carried out a follow-up inspection in May, after the service had previously been rated as requiring improvement.

One patient, the watchdog found, had been "on leave to a care home" for six months when they were only supposed to be there for a week - due to poor information sharing and communication with other services.

The unit also had a high level of long-term segregation and use of restraint, which the CQC said "shouldn't be happening on a regular basis in a community rehabilitation hospital".

Craig Howarth, CQC regional deputy director of mental health, said his team had found leaders at Pine House did not have the "skills, knowledge or experience to lead the service effectively".

He said the service had also not had a registered manager in place since November 2023.

"It was concerning that leaders didn't have a good understanding of Mental Health Act requirements," Howarth said.

"We found issues including medicines being given without relevant consent or second opinion and peoples' rights not being clearly explained so they didn't always understand them, including what they had to do to be able to leave the service.

"This had a negative effect on peoples' mental health."

The CQC said it had begun the process of taking regulatory action against Kibo Hospital Services Limited, which has the right to appeal.

Some patients described having their community leave stopped without understanding why.

"They told us they were feeling frustrated at being without access to the community," the report said.

All patients who spoke to the CQC said they did not have enough access to their psychiatrists and felt like their "concerns were not acted upon".

As well as issues with staffing and leadership, the building itself was found to be unsafe and inspectors had to contact the local fire service due to missing fire doors.

The CQC said 45 doors were "damaged beyond repair" or needed significant repairs.

The move to place the service in special measures means the CQC will closely monitor its performance and introduce a timeframe for improvements to be made.

A statement from Krinvest Care Group said: "Where inspectors identified immediate concerns, including fire safety, we acted during the inspection and have since completed the work required by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.

"Further measures to address the other concerns are already in place and driving service improvement.

"Inspectors found that people spoke warmly of the ward staff who care for them, and the safety and wellbeing of the people we support remains our highest priority."

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