AN OVERSTRETCHED health trust which cares for a million people in Hampshire has been ordered by health watchdogs to improve its services.

Inspectors ruled that chronic staff shortages at Solent NHS Trust are putting vulnerable mental health patients, young people and the elderly across the county at risk and creating a “fragmented” service.

Health watchdogs also uncovered risks to patient safety and a lack reliable IT services, sufficient record-keeping in some departments.

But inspectors praised its services for people with learning difficulties.

Now trust bosses say they are doing all they can to make improvements and recruit new nurses and medical workers – blaming the shortfall on a national staffing crisis.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission ruled the Southampton-based trust “requires improvement” after assessing psychiatric wards, elderly mental health units and community services all ages and substance misuse services.

Their report follows announced inspections between June 27 and 30 of this year and a series of unannounced probes up until July 14 where watchdogs spoke to staff, patients and carers on 11 wards and 87 other locations predominately in Southampton and Portsmouth.

The trust was deemed ‘requiring improvement’ in three key areas relating to safety, effectiveness and leadership, while the service was rated as ‘good’ for being caring and for responsiveness to people’s needs.

The report revealed:

  • Staff shortages across many teams leading to “fragmented” service delivery and “high caseloads” – including at the Southampton substance misuse service – and a shortage of qualified workers in some community services.
  • Evidence of ligature points in Orchards AMH Inpatient Unit in Portsmouth and no clear segregation of male and female bedrooms in one corridor at the unit’s Maple Ward.
  • Incomplete patient records, staff unable to access some electronic patient records and failure to securely lock away all medicines.
  • Lack of risk assessments for children and young people in specialist community mental health services – including concerns that youngsters could access knives in an unlocked kitchen in Southampton Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
  • Dirty carpets and curtains at Bitterne Health Centre.
  • Different working practices in Southampton and Portsmouth meant insufficient sharing of resources and learning.
  • Delays in providing wheelchairs for patients.

But the report said that staff were “caring and compassionate” and treated patients with dignity and respect, while the learning disabilities service was rated as ‘outstanding’ and clinics for exploited children and sex industry workers were praised.

A trust spokesman said the trust is taking “swift and decisive action”, adding: “We are working to ensure all areas that have been identified as requiring improvement are being addressed.

“Considerable work continues to be undertaken in partnership with local universities and other providers to ensure that we are able to recruit, retain and train staff.”

CQC Chief inspector of hospitals Professor Mike Richards said low staffing “impacted” on services, but added: “We are confident that the staff will work to deliver these improvements.”