On the day we inspected there were 32 patients at Parklands some were there informally and some were detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

We spoke with six patients, four relatives and six staff, this included nurses, health care support workers and senior staff. We visited two wards at Parklands, Beechwood and Elmwood both offer services to older people.

We had received several notifications and concerns regarding patients care on the two wards we visited.

Whilst individualised care plans and risk assessments detailed the support and care each patient required, they had not been reviewed regularly and did not reflect the most current support needed. We observed staff on one ward being respectful, asking patients if they needed support and assisting when asked. However, on the other ward there was a lack of communication when supporting patients with their meal and a lack of attendance to patients who communicated by calling out. Staff ignored the behaviour and one told us that is because ‘that is what they do’. This was fed back to the senior staff on the day of the inspection.

Medicines were not always managed safely and staff were not fully aware of their responsibilities with regard to stock control and administration.

The quality of the service provided was monitored by a quality assurance process. However, not all the areas of concern we found had been identified although senior staff told us that there were, “No surprises” given to them by our feedback. They told us there were some plans in place to address some issues that had been identified for example medicine training. Staff however, could not explain why sensory equipment was not being used when it could have been and they told us that staffing levels affected them being able to review care plans.