- By Greig Watson
- BBC News, Nottingham
The review focused on care at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and Rampton Hospital
A government-ordered rapid review prompted by the Nottingham attacks has found “enduring areas of concern” at a mental health trust.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said there were continuing issues over care and patient safety at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
It also said it has had concerns about Rampton Hospital for nearly five years.
The review of the trust, which treated triple killer Valdo Calocane, was ordered after the attacks in June.
The CQC has published two parts of the review – an assessment of patient safety at the trust, and an assessment of progress made at Rampton high-security hospital.
A third part, on Calocane’s care by the trust, will be published in the summer.
Chris Dzikiti, the CQC’s director of mental health, said: “While we found some improvements, our review of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust highlights ongoing concerns around people’s care and safety.
“We have set out clear recommendations for action the trust needs to take so that services provide safe care and treatment, and to protect patients, families and the public from the risk of harm.”
Image source, Nottinghamshire Police
The trust treated Valdo Calocane, who was found to be suffering paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the Nottingham attacks
The CQC said the rapid review identified three “enduring areas of concern” at the trust, which were demand for services and access to care, staffing and leadership.
The watchdog has also recommended that Rampton – one of three high-security hospitals in England and Wales – is relicensed for a period of no more than 12 months – rather than the usual five years – during which further assessment activity will continue.
It has also told Rampton to stop using employees to “prop up” other areas, such as therapy and education staff who were being used to increase nursing numbers.
On top of this, it said Rampton should be paired with another high-secure hospital as a “critical friend”.
Calocane killed Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar in June
In five inspections since July 2019, Rampton has not received a rating above “requires improvement”.
The CQC noted that while care at the hospital had improved since previous inspections, gaps and challenges need to be addressed.
A previously-noted culture of bullying and verbal and/or racist abuse at Rampton had improved, the report said, but had not been eradicated, with two patients reporting that staff had made derogatory comments about their weight or physical health issues.
However, the CQC said it must be accepted that other community mental health services were facing many of the same challenges as the trust.
The report comes after a series of damning revelations involving the trust.
In January, a coroner called for action over the death of Tammy Watkins after she died nearly three months after swallowing a crayon.
In March, the CQC found examples of staff falsifying records and assaulting patients at the trust, and in the same month, the inquest of patient Steven Parkin found his death at Highbury Hospital was contributed to by neglect, adding he was “failed at every level”.
His mental illness began in 2019, a court heard, and he had been detained under the Mental Health Act at a psychiatric unit in Nottingham four times since May 2020.
On each occasion, he was discharged – the final time in February 2022, more than a year before the killings.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
