Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust calls for ‘culture change’ amid concerns

A Nottinghamshire health trust that has been criticized for its mental health services has been urged by MPs to listen to patients’ complaints. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust did not always keep patients and the public safe, an investigation by the watchdog Care Quality Commission (CQC) found last month.

The trust treats some of the county’s most vulnerable patients, but the CQC says patients face long waiting lists, a lack of hospital beds and difficulty accessing crisis care. Stated. The government has ordered an expedited review following the conviction of triple murderer Valdo Carocane, who the trust previously treated.

Members of Nottingham City Council’s health committee told the trust’s bosses on Thursday (April 11) that they should have listened to patient concerns before the CQC inspection. Councilor Georgia Power (Lab) said: “This was not surprising as the CQC had heard everything raised by patients over and over again. If we have heard it, you absolutely should have heard it too.

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“If the complaint had been dealt with, it would not have gotten to this point.” She said a report recommending improvements had previously been sent to the trust by the coroner called a “Future Death Prevention Notice”. I read the list.

The report was issued after the death of Alexander Lyarushko, a man suffering from anxiety and depression, whose doctor referred him to local mental health services. The trust did not respond to the request for unexplained reasons, and he took his own life just a month later, in January 2023.

A separate report into the death of Michelle Whitehead, 45, in 2021 paints a “very disturbing picture” of care at Millbrook Mental Health Unit in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

The cause of the brain injury that caused her death has not been determined, but the trust admitted there was a mistake in administering the sedative, which caused staff to realize too late that she had lost consciousness. The trust has previously apologized and pledged to learn from these tragedies.

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Councilor Maria Joannou (Lab) told the committee that a “complete cultural change” was needed at the trust and that there was a “disconnect between top leadership and users”. She told executives at her trust that “we need to listen more to our users.”

Diane Hull, executive director of nursing at Allied Health Partnerships and Quality, apologized for the trust’s failings. “The people of Nottingham are entitled to quality mental health care that is compassionate and kind, but it is not consistently delivered.”

He said the trust welcomed all complaints to learn from its mistakes, adding: “We are listening to our biggest critics.”

The CQC review also raised concerns about Rampton Hospital, a secure Nottinghamshire psychiatric hospital run by the trust.

The third part of the review on the care available to Valdo Carocane will be published in the summer. The trust’s comprehensive assessment will be suspended until a full review is completed.