The Reaside Clinic in Rednal, part of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, has been rated as requiring improvement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following its latest inspection.
some progress, the clinic continues to face challenges in delivering consistently safe and effective mental health care.
According to the CQC report, not all staff at the Reaside Clinic have received the appropriate and necessary training, and there are ongoing concerns about how well patients are involved in planning their own care.
The trust overall retains a rating of requires improvement, although it has been judged as good in areas such as caring, leadership and responsiveness.
Inspectors revisited the clinic’s medium secure unit to assess progress made since a previous inspection had flagged serious issues. The clinic, which provides assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation services across seven wards for individuals with severe mental health conditions, had previously been found in breach of regulations relating to governance.
While improvements in this area have been noted, two further breaches have now been identified — one related to person-centred care and another concerning the qualifications and training of staff.
The inspection also included a visit to the trust’s forensic intensive recovery and support teams (FIRST), following a serious incident previously reported by the trust. Overall, the forensic services — particularly in terms of safety and effectiveness — continue to require improvement.
The CQC highlighted inconsistencies in patient experiences at Reaside. Some patients reported that staff were not always kind or attentive, while others felt safe and knew who to approach with concerns. Staff shortages were also noted as a contributing factor to cancelled escorted leave and a reduction in activities, particularly on one ward where the departure of an activity worker had impacted patient engagement.
The trust has acknowledged these gaps and is reportedly working on solutions.
The CQC urged the trust’s leadership to improve the quality and consistency of care by ensuring patient needs are fully understood and addressed. The regulator also suggested that successful practices at FIRST could serve as a model for wider improvements across the trust’s services.
The Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is now expected to take further action to address these concerns and enhance the quality of mental health provision for its service users across the region.
