A HOSPITAL’s mental health unit has made improvements, according to health inspectors.

An unannounced mental health inspection of the Ablett Unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital was carried out earlier this year.

Dinas - Adult acute mental health admission ward, Tegid - older person functional mental health ward and Cynnydd, male locked rehabilitation ward, were all visited during the inspection.

Findings, published by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) on April 17, revealed that the HIW found evidence that the Ablett Unit provided safe care, delivered by committed staff and improvements had been made to the environment of care which benefited the patient experience.

Staff were praised for interacting and engaging with patients respectfully.

Governance arrangements had been established that assisted staff in the provision of safe and clinically effective care.

A £1.15m refurbishment programme of the hospital had resulted in the unit being suitably furnished with furniture, fixtures and fittings, but inspectors said there remains “limitations” to the improvements that can be made without significant structural work.

Andy Roach, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) director of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, said: “We’re determined to change people’s perceptions of the Ablett Unit and our wider mental health services by delivering tangible improvements in the care and support that our patients receive.”

The report recommended that support arrangements were made for patients on Tegid, to help maintain independence and dignity, and for the storage of medication.

BCUHB are in discussions with the Welsh Government over a refurbishment of the Ablett Unit, which would enable it to introduce a new model of care to meet future demand.

The latest report is a vast improvement on the 2018 inspection. Last year, inspectors found that the environment of two wards visited were not fit for purpose. Issues were also identified that represented a “risk to patients safety”.

Rhyl Journal:

Andy Roach, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) director of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities

BCUHB have a four year plan to improve the support available to people experiencing a mental health crisis. This has been developed with partner organisations, patients and their families, was beginning to deliver real improvements.

Mr Roach said the ambitious plan was beginning to deliver real improvements.

“We’ve introduced ICAN Mental Health Urgent Care Centres at our three main hospitals to support people who are struggling with their mental health but don’t require admission to an inpatient mental health unit,” he added.

“A specialist perinatal mental health service has been established which has supported over 450 new and expectant mums who were struggling with their mental health in the last 12 months. Thanks to additional Welsh Government funding we’re in the process of expanding the service.

“We’re also working closely with our partner organisations and the third sector to improve the support available to people in crisis.

“Where people require admission to one of our inpatient units we’re determined to ensure that we deliver the highest standards of care.

“In the past, because of bed capacity pressures, we have had to send many of our patients outside of North Wales for treatment. We’ve been able to reduce these numbers by 96 per cent over the past two years, enabling more people to receive treatment closer to home and the support network of their friends and family.

Progress has also been made in implementing the recommendations from the Donna Ockenden and HASCAS investigations.

Mr Roach said: “Another indicator of the progress we are making can be seen in the significant reduction the number of complaints about our services.

“Despite the progress we have made, we know that there is much more work to do, including reducing the amount of time that people spend waiting for treatment.

“We are determined to accelerate the pace of improvement in order to get our services to where they need to be.”