CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 1

What we think about

Mersey Care NHS trust’s

wards for people with

learning disabilities and

autism

Easy read report

Address:

STAR unit

Rathbone Hospital

Mill Lane,

Liverpool

L13 4AW

Phone: (0151) 250 3000 or

(0151) 471 7795

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 2

About the Care Quality Commission

We are an organisation called the

Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our job is to check if every care

service is:

• Safe

• Effective (meaning it gives

good results)

• Caring

• Responsive (meaning it meets

people’s needs)

• Well-led (meaning it is

managed well).

We then give the service ratings (or

scores) of:

• Outstanding (meaning really

good)

• Good

• Requires improvement

(meaning it needs to get better)

• Inadequate (meaning it is poor).

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 3

About this service

The STAR unit is a hospital for

people with learning disability and

autism, where patients receive

assessment and treatment.

When we checked the STAR unit,

nine patients could stay there.

Mersey Care NHS Trust also run

other learning disability wards.

These are locked wards at

Whalley in Lancashire (formerly

known as Calderstones) and a

short-break respite service called

Wavertree Bungalows. We did

not check these wards this time.

We only visited the STAR unit.

We checked the STAR unit on

6 November 2018

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 4

What we think about this service

Across all the areas we

checked, we think this

service is good

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 5

1. Is the service safe?

For the question, ‘Is the

service safe?’, we think

the service is good

Staff knew how to keep people

safe from harm.

Staff had completed basic and

extra training to help them

support patients properly.

Staff knew how to keep the

ward clean.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 6

Staff knew how to give patients

their medicine safely.

Staff supported patients with

epilepsy. Staff wrote good care

plans so that everyone knew

what to do for patients with

epilepsy.

BUT

There was no liquid soap in the

ward toilets. Patients had to use

sinks in their bedrooms to wash

their hands.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 7

2. Is the service effective?

For the question, ‘Is the

service effective?’, we

think the service is good

Staff wrote detailed care plans

for each patient. This included

care plans written in easy-read

to help patients understand

them.

Staff supported patients so that

their mental health improved.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 8

Staff checked patients’ physical

health regularly to make sure

patients kept well.

Staff worked together and

talked to doctors so patients got

the right help.

Staff supported patients to

make choices and asked

patients if they agreed with

decisions about their care.

BUT Some detained patients

did not understand their rights.

We told staff that they could

write better records and care

plans so every detained patient

had their rights checked.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 9

3. Is the service caring?

For the question, ‘Is the

service caring?’, we think

the service is good

Staff gave people enough

privacy.

Staff were kind and treated

patients with respect.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 10

Staff supported patients to have

a say in their care, treatment

and future.

Patients were asked their views

on how they wanted to improve

things on the ward.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 11

4. Is the service responsive?

For the question, ‘Is the

service responsive?’, we

think the service is good

Staff offered a range of activities

for patients.

Staff supported patients to

improve their skills (such as

cooking) to help them live more

independently when they left

hospital.

Patients were helped to keep in

touch with their families and

carers.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 12

Staff knew how to support

patients if they were not happy

and wanted to complain.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 13

5. Is the service well-led?

For the question, ‘Is the

service well-led?’, we

think the service is good

Staff met regularly to talk about

how things on the ward could

improve.

Managers checked that ward

staff were providing good quality

care and listened to patients.

Staff had improved the checks to

make sure that the ward was

safe and patient-focused. The

checks helped staff to look at

how the ward could improve.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 14

Staff were supported by

managers who understood the

needs of patients with learning

disabilities and autism.

Staff had made improvements

from the last time we checked on

the STAR unit.

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 15

What happens next?

We rated the STAR unit as

good. Staff were meeting all the

standards that we check. We

have also written a more

detailed report with more

information in it.

We have made some minor

suggestions on how staff at the

STAR unit might improve. We

will go back to check this again

in the future.

Getting in contact with us

If you would like this report in

another format or language, or

you would like to tell us

something, you can contact us

at:

CQC inspection report summary – EASY READ 16

Phone: 03000 61 61 61

Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk