A health watchdog has re-rated a Durham mental health hospital, 18 months after it called for "urgent action" following complaints of abuse between patients. 

Cygnet Appletree, the independent Cygnet Health Care-run service in Meadowfield, Durham, provides care for women with mental health needs.

Recently, it was rated as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with inspectors praising the respectful and compassionate care provided by staff.

In April 2021, the regulator CQC identified risks to patient safety, leading to the imposition of urgent conditions, such as the restriction of new admissions to the service, without the prior written approval of the CQC - though restrictions had been removed at the time of the most recent inspection.

But, according to the new report, the hospital has come on in bounds, with inspectors awarding it 'Good' ratings in all domains - safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Read more: CQC takes action against Cygnet Appletree in Durham

Inspectors spoke to 14 patients and three carers as part of the inspection of the 25-bed mental health hospital, with feedback being positive. They said staff treated patients with compassion and kindness and respected patients’ privacy and dignity.

The report read: “The service met the needs of all patients. They actively involved patients and families and carers in care decisions.”

Hospital director Martin Graham said everybody at the service was happy with the result of the inspection.

He said: “I am so pleased with this outcome for Team Appletree. It is confirmation of the great care they provide to patients who come to Appletree at a very difficult time in their lives. 

"All staff have contributed to the growth and success of the hospital and I am very proud of them and the rating we have achieved through teamwork.”

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Areas for future improvement were also highlighted. For example, open nurse vacancies meant that not all of the shifts in one ward had the required two qualified nurses. Care plans were deemed to be repetitive and sometimes difficult to follow due to the amount of information in them.

However, the report commended the safe and clean ward environments and praised staff for their ability to assess and manage risk well. It said staff minimised the use of restrictive practices, managed medicines safely, followed good practices with respect to safeguarding and planned and managed discharge well.

Additionally, the report praised leadership and management, which had been a cause for concern when the hospital was last inspected. 

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