"The worst care I've seen total lack of care"

Thank you for taking the time to post this comment. Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust aspires to provide a high quality of care and support to both Service Users, their families and carers. It is very disappointing to hear this has not been your experience during your sister’s admission to St Ann’s Hospital and we apologise for this. I would like to share with you some of the work we are currently undertaking at St Ann’s Hospital to improve upon the care we provide. As you mentioned, it is unsatisfactory that you found our staff to be uninterested and unhelpful. We recognise the importance of ensuring our staff are passionate about working with and helping people with Mental Health Problems. To support this we are developing and introducing specific induction/training programmes for staff who work directly with service users and their families, especially for those staff who are newly recruited to working in Mental Health Services; • Introduction to, using and building therapeutic engagement skills • Enhanced interpersonal and communication skills We want all of our staff to take a personal pride in helping others and to be enthused to work within their teams. We are also in the midst of reviewing the ward based staffing levels and increasing these to ensure that staff have adequate time to complete their work to a high standard, which includes spending more time with service users to meet their needs and support their recovery whilst in hospital. We are also committed to making significant changes to the environment of St Ann’s Hospital to enable us to provide improved and modern mental health facilities. We are due to open the 1st phase of a £14million site Redevelopment in November 2013, with a 2nd and 3rd Phase already planned and agreed. This will provide service users with; • Their own bedrooms and en-suite facilities • Dedicated space to undertake activities and therapies to reduce the boredom whilst in hospital • Direct access from the ward to outside space and fresh air • Day spaces, which will promote relaxation and social interaction • An overall lighter, brighter environment which is more conducive to recovery To underpin all of these points, the Trust has a firm strategy and framework for providing care, called Each Time, Every Time standards. Which are followed for all Service Users and ensure we provide individualised care plans to include; • Offering daily one to one meetings between service users and staff • Involving families and carers in assessment and care, where the service user gives their consent • Providing a thorough assessment and documenting this including their history • A physical examination within 24hrs of admission and physical health review daily in conjunction with mental health needs • Written and verbal information provided about prescribed medication or medication choices • Medication charts are always completed and uploaded to the electronic records • A documented risk assessment is always completed prior to leave or discharge for all detained patients • A discharge summary is sent to the GP on the day of discharge and also uploaded to the electronic records Due to the anonymity of your comments, we are unable to respond to you directly. As an organisation we listen seriously to feedback and want to take all measures possible to ensure that your poor experience is not repeated and to improve our practice for others. We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your specific concerns and work towards resolving them. To enable this please contact Becky Whyte, Hospital Manager, who together with Liz James, Service Manager, Inpatient Services will arrange to meet with you. Please contact Becky on 01202 492145 or via becky.whyte@dhuft.nhs.uk.