Watchdog finds serious safety failings at mental health unit

Nation.Cymru staff

Longstanding safety failings at a Welsh hospital’s mental health unit remain unresolved three years after inspectors first raised concerns, a new report has found.

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) launched its immediate assurance process after an unannounced inspection of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital identified widespread environmental hazards, unresolved ligature risks, infection control concerns and poor compliance with safety-critical staff training. Inspectors said many of the issues had also been highlighted during a previous inspection in 2023, raising concerns that improvements had not been sustained.

The inspection, carried out over three days in April, examined Wards 21 and 22 and the hospital’s Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Inspectors found damaged furniture and fittings, broken lighting, water damage, mould, damaged doors and longstanding maintenance problems across the wards. Estates records also showed numerous urgent and high-risk repairs had remained outstanding because of capacity pressures within maintenance services.

HIW also identified low compliance with essential mandatory training, including life support, restraint techniques, moving and handling and fire safety.

No members of staff had completed training in the safe use of portable oxygen cylinders, while inspectors said they could not determine whether untrained staff had been involved in restraint incidents because of shortcomings in record keeping.

The watchdog said the combination of environmental risks and training failures reduced assurance that patients and staff could be kept safe in high-risk situations.

Despite the concerns, inspectors praised frontline staff for the care they provided.

Patients described staff as kind, respectful and compassionate, while inspectors found thorough assessments, comprehensive care plans, effective safeguarding arrangements and strong multidisciplinary working.

However, patients also reported limited access to therapeutic activities, outdoor space and basic facilities.

Inspectors found no structured programme of therapeutic activities, a vacant activities co-ordinator post and no dedicated occupational therapy support for patients in the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. Mixed-gender accommodation and shared bedrooms on Wards 21 and 22 also continued to affect patients’ privacy and dignity.

HIW has instructed Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board to implement a series of improvements and said it would continue to monitor progress.

‘Environmental risks’

Alun Jones, Chief Executive of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, said: “Our inspection revealed that direct care is delivered by staff in a compassionate way with patients commenting positively on it.

“However, the health board has not sustained improvements previously made in relation to significant issues, and long-standing estates and environmental risks remain.

“Whilst these are not isolated findings, and reflect issues we continue to see across mental health settings in Wales, we expect the health board to take sustained action to address these concerns and ensure patients receive safe, high-quality care.”

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