Enter and view: Snowsfield Adolescent Unit, Southwark
Download (PDF 435.15 KB)Summary of report content
This is an Enter and view report from Healthwatch Southward following two visits to Snowfield Adolescent unit by five authorised representatives on Wednesday 25th and Friday 27th March 2015.
The HWS representatives made the following recommendations:
1. To strengthen how the Unit gathers feedback from young people especially on facilities: - To consider ways that young people can be involved in designing or reviewing the food menus. - To seek feedback particularly about their personal environment including accommodation. This could be through a specific forum or with the support of advocates.
2. To incorporate the following when training staff: - Dual diagnosis: Staff are increasingly providing a more specialist services and caring for patients with dual diagnosis or referrals from specialist centres, hence a need for training staff to help manage the complexity of this. - Patient interaction: Some young people may need additional support as they may not find it easy to express themselves to staff. Staff should be mindful of this, and make extra efforts to ensure that these people are comfortable and well supported.
3. To vary and increase the range of activities that are available to young people particularly in the evenings and on the weekends.
4. To consider the risk assessment process when approving leave for smokers: whilst it is understood that the Trust’s No Smoking Policy is non-negotiable, some young people receiving care at the Unit are heavy smokers and therefore request leave to smoke. Although a risk assessment is carried out, there is concern that some young people are vulnerable when they leave the Unit premises unaccompanied, and they may try to pass the risk assessment because of their need to smoke.
Healthwatch Southwark lay out a set of tasks for themselves including visiting other services.
Snowsfield Unit is said to be working to a high standard, as demonstrated in this report. However, The Unit is continuously challenged due to high demand and limited resources.The report provides some considerations for commissioners to think about.
The provider provides a very full and detailed response to the recommendations in the report.