We had previously inspected this service on 31 May 2013 when we found non-compliance with two outcomes for which compliance actions were set. During our last inspection we found that the care and treatment of people’s physical health was not planned and delivered in a way that ensured their safety and welfare and medicines were not always safely managed. Following our visit, Mersey Care NHS Trust provided us with a comprehensive action plan to highlight the improvements that would be made following our visit.

As part of our inspection we spoke with five patients, seven members of staff and reviewed relevant patient records and documentation. Patients we spoke with were mainly positive about their experience on the unit and comments included:

“It’s much better here than some of the other places I’ve been.”

“The staff have been brilliant.”

“There are posters everywhere telling you what to do if you’ve got any worries.”

During this follow up visit we found the actions in this plan had either been fully implemented, or were scheduled to be completed in the near future, and we saw improvements in all the required areas. We saw improvements had been made to help ensure that patients at Broadoak Unit experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. We also saw improvements in the management of medicines which helped ensure that, when appropriate, patients were safely supported to manage some of their own medicines.

During our visit we spoke with nine people who used the service, eight members of staff in a range of different roles, two visiting advocates, senior managers and a visiting social worker. At the time of our visit, there were a number of patients who were not able to tell us about their experiences directly. However we spent time observing the support and care they received from staff. Feedback we received from patients included:

“I feel very safe here”.

“We can go to the office and interrupt staff without feeling a nuisance”.

“They really respect our dignity and privacy, they knock on your door, and they never just barge in”.

“If I’m looking a bit down or depressed, they ask if they can help”.

We found that people’s privacy and dignity were respected and there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs. The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. However, people’s physical health care and treatment was not planned and delivered in a way that ensured their safety and welfare and medicines were not always safely managed.