Healthwatch visits Mill View and Rutland Gardens as Part of the PLACE Programme

This is a report by Healthwatch Brighton and Hove. The report forms part of ongoing PLACE assessment visits to local sites.

Representatives from Healthwatch Brighton and Hove visited Mill View Hospital and Rutland Gardens.

Mill View Hospital has four inpatient wards treading general mental health conditions.

Observations:
• The wards at Mill View Hospital were clean, tidy and generally well-presented.

• The male wards have common showers and baths, which appeared clean and tidy

• The food was good, and there was a reasonable range of options. However, there appeared to be an overemphasis on deep-fried or ‘oven-coated’ food, and the vegetables that were frozen had a 
lower nutritional value than fresh food.

• The Brunswick ward uses good use of colour and design to ensure 
that it is dementia friendly.

• Healthwatch volunteers learnt that there is hardly any budget to spend on creating activities for the patients to do. Additionally, there is a very small budget per patient for purchasing occupational therapy-related resources.

Areas that we flagged as requiring attention:
• There was a shortage of ‘visual stimuli’ (such as pictures and posters etc….) that would help with creating a more homely environment.

Rutland Gardens provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting so that they can live in their own home, as independently as possible.

Observations:

• The gardens were well-kept, and the social and communal spaces were warm and welcoming.

• The kitchen was well equipped, and residents were cooking their breakfast whilst we were there.

• The bedrooms share a bathroom and toilet, which are clean and bright on both floors. 

• We had the opportunity to visit a resident in his room (which was similar to the other residents) it was nice, bright and homely. 

• Rutland Gardens genuinely felt like a home, albeit with specific areas that were for clinical or therapeutic use. 

Areas that we flagged as requiring attention:

• There were a few minor decorative issues that had already been reported to the relevant departments to address, but apart from that, no other issues were identified.

• Sussex Partnership is a smoke-free organisation, so even though Rutland Gardens is their home, the residents are seen smoking in the street rather than having a smoking area in the garden.