A PRIVATE mental health hospital has been praised by inspectors - almost a year after it was deemed inadequate.
The Retreat, in York, was rated as 'good' in all key areas by the Care Quality Commission, nearly 12 months after the site was found to have a ward which was “dirty, damp and a risk to patients” during an unannounced inspection.
Inspectors found the organisation had made improvements following feedback and improvements meant patients received safe care and treatment.
The report said: “ Staff were respectful and courteous at all times.
"Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and saw each patient as an individual.
“Staff involved patients, carers, and advocates in decisions about their care and treatment and took account of patients’ preferences and advance decisions.
"Staff helped patients engage with their environment and take part in meaningful activities.
“Staff completed detailed, personalised care plans, which included crisis plans and information about their mental and physical health needs.”
Managers were also praised and inspectors found medicines were stored and managed appropriately.
However, inspectors did find that nurses did not stop patients with mental health problems from leaving the site when it was unsafe for them to do so, and bedroom doors on older adult units compromised patients’ privacy, dignity, and confidentiality.
Cathy Waters is the chief executive officer of The Retreat.
She said the improvements were made through hard work and dedication.
She said: “We are delighted with this new rating, which is a significant improvement in the Inadequate rating we received following an unannounced inspection in February 2017.
“We feel that this clearly demonstrates our ability to bring about major organisational change and improvement and we would like to thank our staff for all their hard work during this challenging time.
“We are now undertaking a strategic review to explore options to reconfigure and develop our services and operational model to better meet significant changes in the commissioning landscape and demand for services.”