Northamptonshire inpatient mental health services achieve outstanding CQC rating

Inpatient mental health services in Northamptonshire have received the Care Quality Commission’s highest rating after inspectors praised their leadership, personalised care and culture of continuous improvement.

Acute wards for working-age adults and psychiatric intensive care units operated by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust were rated outstanding following an inspection in July.

The assessment covered inpatient services at St Mary’s Hospital in Kettering and Berrywood Hospital in Northampton. Both sites provide acute mental healthcare and psychiatric intensive care for people requiring support during periods of severe illness or crisis.

The service was rated outstanding overall and for being effective and well-led. Safety, caring and responsiveness were all rated good.

Inspectors found that leaders had created an open and supportive culture in which staff were encouraged to learn, innovate and continually improve care. Feedback from patients and carers was overwhelmingly positive, with staff described as kind, professional and supportive.

Care plans were comprehensive and centred on each person’s circumstances, preferences and needs. In one example, staff developed a temporary care plan so that a patient could attend another hospital while experiencing as little distress as possible.

The CQC also highlighted several areas of innovation, including the development of a sexual-health screening pathway and new approaches to managing self-harm risks. Staff supported people with complex physical health conditions to remain within the mental health service where appropriate, rather than automatically transferring them elsewhere.

Inspectors found that teams understood the connection between physical and mental health, identified risks early and acted to prevent avoidable deterioration. Staff also demonstrated a strong understanding of their responsibilities under mental health and mental capacity legislation.

Efforts had been made to create more inclusive and less distressing environments for neurodivergent patients. Several wards offered sensory rooms and equipment such as weighted blankets, allowing support to be adapted around individual needs.

Gemma Berry, CQC deputy director of mental health in the Midlands, said the service had developed an “exceptional culture of learning, openness and continuous improvement” that was delivering better outcomes for patients.

She said staff and leaders should be proud of the care they provided to people at particularly vulnerable points in their lives, describing the rating as a testament to the impact of their work.

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