Enter and view: Astley Court Little Plumstead Hospital

Healthwatch Norfolk undertook an Enter and View visit of Astley Court Little Plumstead Hospital on 27 March 2023. They spoke to one patient and four staff members.

Astley Court is an Assessment and Treatment Unit. It is intended that patients go to live temporarily in ATUs to receive treatment, and then return home once their behaviour has stabilised and their mental health problems have been treated.

Voice choice and personalisation: There are regular meetings intended to help people to air their views and influence their care. These include fortnightly multidisciplinary team meetings, ward meetings and personal, social and developmental meetings. The minutes and actions coming from these are posted on noticeboards in an easy-read format. There are also weekly visits from a self-advocacy group, and access to individual advocacy is available.

Premises: The unit was purpose-built in 2013, and is modern, spacious, well organised and bright throughout. There is a mixture of mixed-sex and single-sex communal areas, three gardens, a sensory room, and a wing for de-escalation and long-term seclusion. Bedrooms allow for personalisation through hanging pictures on the wall, but the decoration was not personalised. The larger hospital grounds are also available for patients’ use.

Activities: People were regularly consulted about what activities they would like, through a picture quiz. Schedules were prepared in accessible formats, and staff gave Healthwatch Norfolk examples of people’s schedules which were personalised. The external self-advocacy group who regularly visits the service said that activities planning was person-centred and responsive.

Relationships and community: The interactions between staff and patients were respectful and caring. All patients regularly participated in activities in the community.

Food and health: Patients were able to select food from a picture menu, which was prepared in the hospital’s main canteen. There were also facilities for people to learn how to cook. Most people were regularly physically active.

Relations with the broader health and social care system: The main problem that the service had was related to a shortage of available placements in the community for people with complex care needs. This has delayed the discharge of some people. However, all of the patients had concrete discharge plans in place, into newly-built facilities in the county.

The report contains recommendations and a response by the service provider.