CPFT at Fulbourn Hospital

On 9 August 2012, the inspection team looked at the records kept by five of the community teams, and spoke with some of the staff. On 21 August 2012, we invited people who used the trust's community services, and family carers of people who used the services, to share their experiences with us, at a venue away from the trust's premises. Approximately 26 people and family carers came to see us and a number of other people contacted us by telephone or email. We also arranged for groups of staff from these services to meet with us on that day, and in total spoke with approximately 50 staff.

Most of the people we spoke with, or who contacted us, were very positive about the service they had received. They praised the support they had been given by a number of the community teams. One person said they felt, 'The trust is beginning turning a corner for the better' and, 'It makes me feel better'. Another person told us they did not have a bad word to say about their treatment. A third person said, 'If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here today'.

People were also very positive about the way they were treated by staff, and the respect they were shown. Comments they made included, 'They listen carefully to me, my health is fully discussed and my values are respected'; 'They are completely respectful to me'; and, 'They give me 100% control of my illness'.

The majority of care records we looked at were personalised and well written, and included a thorough assessment of each person's needs, treatment plans, goals and risk management strategies. However, in one team, two of the five care plans we looked at did not contain sufficient information about the ways in which each person's needs would be met and a third person's care plan had not been put in place in a timely manner to ensure their needs were met.

Most of the people we spoke with were satisfied with the cooperation they had encountered between the trust and other agencies that could help them. People felt they had been given adequate information about how to raise any concerns they had, including if they were concerned about abuse.

Most people knew the staff who supported them and were very positive about the staff. The people we spoke with did not have any concerns about staffing levels, or about staff's qualifications and skills to support them. One person told us, 'I am happy with the standard of care I receive and I am very impressed with the professionalism in the team'. Staff we spoke with had varied views, particularly about staffing levels. Some felt the staffing was satisfactory, but others were of the opinion that too many staff were under too much stress for the service to be sustained.

The trust had maintained the improvements we had noted at a previous inspection, regarding the timeliness of reporting to CQC about incidents of concern and deaths of people who used services.

Only two people we spoke with or who contacted us were completely dissatisfied. One person related a series of events which they felt had not been a good experience for them, and another person told us they had decided not to continue using the service because they were not happy with it. They said staff did not listen to them or engage with them.

People told us they had been involved in decisions in relation to planning and setting their care and treatment goals and that their treatment had been explained to them. One person informed us that their discharge date had been discussed at length with them and the date, although fast approaching, had felt right. People on Willow ward told us they really valued having their own room and ensuite facilities as it gave them greater privacy. However one person told us that there had been no hot water in her bedroom and that she had had to wash in cold water for the first few days after her admission. She told us she had reported this some three weeks ago but it was still not sorted, resulting in staff having to bring her bowls of hot water from a nearby bathroom.

Some people told us they wished there were more opportunities to get out of the ward and into the community. One person perceived this as a lack of appropriate staffing and commented, 'Sometimes there aren't enough qualified staff to take us out'. This person was also upset that they could no longer access the ward's garden area as a new fence was being erected. This had meant that the regular gardening sessions, which she had enjoyed, had been cancelled.