- Independent mental health service
St Andrew's Healthcare - Essex
Report from 2 September 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings - Long stay or rehabilitation mental health wards for working age adults
Our view of the service
The assessment of long stay or rehabilitation mental health wards took place on 01 October and 15 October 2025.
We inspected one ward, Tiptree Ward. This was a 16-bedded ward for men of working age who had experienced repeated or prolonged admissions to hospital. The service aimed to support people to engage in off-site activities, with the ultimate aim of discharge. At the time of our inspection, 16 people were using the service.
We rated the service as good. The service had made improvements and was no longer in breach of regulation. There were enough nursing and support staff on all shifts to keep patients safe. The service ensured that staff were up to date with mandatory training. Patients had the opportunity to participate in education and work opportunities in the wider community. The service had reviewed their recovery model of care.
Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act Compliance Summary
The service admitted patients under the Mental Health Act 1983. Staff received and kept up to date with training on the Mental Health Act and the Mental Health Act Code of Practice and could describe the Code of Practice guiding principles. Training on the Mental Health Act was mandatory for staff, and the compliance rate was 94%.
Staff had access to support and advice on implementing the Mental Health Act and its Code of Practice. Staff received assistance from designated Mental Health Act staff.
The service had clear, accessible, relevant and up-to-date policies and procedures that reflected all relevant legislation and the Mental Health Act Code of Practice. For example, there was a process in place to monitor patient’s legal status and renewal dates, which meant staff were able to ensure reviews took place in a timely manner.
Staff explained to each patient their rights under the Mental Health Act in a way that they could understand, repeated as necessary and recorded it clearly in the patient’s record each time.
Staff made sure patients could take section 17 leave (permission to leave the ward or hospital) when this was agreed with the responsible clinician. The use of leave from the ward was agreed by the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Arrangements for leave were made at daily planning meetings and nurses carried out an assessment of each patient’s mental state before each occasion of leave was utilised.
Staff requested an opinion from a Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD) when they needed to.
Staff stored copies of patients’ detention papers and associated records correctly and staff could access them when needed.
Mental Capacity Act
Staff received and kept up to date with training in the Mental Capacity Act. Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act. The training was initially provided as part of the induction process and staff had regular refreshers.
Staff assessed and recorded capacity to consent clearly each time a person needed to make an important decision. Staff took all practical steps to enable people to make their own decisions. Staff completed an assessment on admission of each person’s capacity to consent to admission and treatment. Further assessments took place during reviews by the multidisciplinary team.
Staff knew where to get advice regarding the Mental Capacity Act, including deprivation of liberty safeguards.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with 4 patients and 2 carers. Patients told us that staff treated them with kindness and respect; they felt safe on the ward and staff supported them to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe. Patients said there was a good choice of activities and they had plenty to do. Patients told us they had copies of their care plans, were able to give their views and opinions and found meetings regarding their care positive. Patients had not made any complaints but knew how to complain or raise concerns. A patient said they liked everything about the ward and another patient said it was 1 of the best wards they had been on. However, 1 patient told us the food was the same every week and not healthy.
Carers told us staff on the ward had been supportive and very caring and the environment was clean and welcoming. Carers said the ward involved them in their relatives care and treatment, and things had been explained clearly. Carers knew how to make a complaint or raise concerns and where they had done, they had received an outcome and been invited to a meeting to discuss it.