HMP Bedford

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We found the Trust had implemented effective measures to address the issues we had identified during our previous inspection. There were clear processes in place for staff to gain consent to treatment which staff understood. Patients provided consent to treatment, consent was obtained verbally for most patients and staff recorded this in patient records as required.

Find out what we look at when we assess this area in our information about our new Single assessment framework.

The judgement for Assessing needs is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Delivering evidence-based care and treatment is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for How staff, teams and services work together is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Supporting people to live healthier lives is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Monitoring and improving outcomes is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

At the last inspection we found that 1 patient had refused their medicines. Staff subsequently restrained and administered medicines without their consent and staff had recorded the patient had consented in the patient’s healthcare record. There was video footage of this incident. During this inspection we found that management had reviewed the footage of the incident and investigated swiftly with prompt action taken. Managers informed us that there was now a new mental health workforce in place. There was a positive culture amongst staff and staff had received training on capacity and consent. The staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the mental capacity act and how to obtain consent or make a best interest decision for a patient as required. We were told that there had been no such incidents since the last inspection whereby patients were administered medicines or other forms of treatment without their consent.

People's capacity and ability to consent was taken into account. Management provided assurance from data collected via the complaints and incident reporting system that there had been no reported incidents of medicines being administered under restraint. Management had re-circulated the trust’s Mental Capacity Act (2005) Policy including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to all nursing staff. Nursing staff understood when a patient’s capacity would need to be assessed and when to document consent to treatment. Staff had attended training or were booked to attend training on the Mental Capacity Act (inc. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards-DoLS). Staff were required to complete this training every 3 years.