Enter & View: Local mental health units

Healthwatch Bristol, Healthwatch North Somerset and Healthwatch South Gloucestershire undertook six enter and view visits to hospital treatment of mental health conditions during the period November 2023 to June 2024.  They spoke to 37 patients and 14 staff.

Reception areas were overall clean and warm but sometimes were not staffed at the time of the visit, and on two occasions the team were able to move from public areas of the facility through security doors unchecked and unmonitored. Healthwatch were asked to sign in on three from six visits. Comfortable seating, water stations and hand sanitisation were mostly available but on four of the visits the display and leaflet information was out of date and/or not accessible in a variety of formats. 

Parking indicated for visitors is limited, and all accessible spaces were full at 9am at one location.

Less than ten percent of service users had access to a written care plan.  Forty-three percent of service users Healthwatch spoke to were unaware of the existence of a plan for their care. 

Service users were concerned and frightened by new arrivals and noise at night. Physical attacks and violence from other patients led to some service users reporting they felt unsafe. Female residents complained about males being allowed to remain in female only spaces on the mixed sex wards. 

Residents preferred creative group therapy and wanted better access to the gym and physical activity. 

Service users reported feeling that quieter residents received less attention & staff/patient communication was often limited. 

Although faith was respected, less mainstream beliefs were not supported in the same way. 

Service users requested a healthier nutritional offer with more dietary options and a better variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Some service users discharge from the wards was delayed due to a lack of onward accommodation and community support.