In April the CQC carried out a planned unannounced CQC system-wide inspection of urgent and emergency care services in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. This inspection was part of a series of coordinated inspections in England, to identify how services in a local area work together to ensure patients receive safe, effective and timely care.

The report, which isn’t rated, looks at how the liaison psychiatry service affected patient flow, admissions to hospital and discharges from the Leicester Royal Infirmary hospital as part of the system wide healthcare. The psychiatric liaison service provides assessment and treatment for adults between the ages of 16 to 65, who experience mental health problems in the context of physical illness.

Angela Hillery, chief executive of Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “We are proud to announce that, as part of this inspection, the CQC have published a report of their focused inspection of our all-age mental health crisis service psychiatric liaison team at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, which demonstrates excellent practice and standards, and a team who are a credit to our LPT family.”

In particular, the report highlights:

  • Staff working for the adult psychiatric liaison team developed holistic, recovery-oriented care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment and in collaboration with families and carers. They provided a range of treatments that were informed by best-practice guidance and suitable to the needs of the patients.
  • Staff worked well together as a multidisciplinary team and with relevant services within and outside the organisation.
  • The adult psychiatric liaison service was available 24-hours a day and was easy to access – including through a dedicated telephone line. The team engaged with patients who found it difficult or were reluctant to engage with mental health services. The referral criteria did not exclude patients who would have benefitted from care and staff followed up people who missed appointments.
  • There was a full complement of staff with no vacancies. They have a high level of training, supervision and appraisal compliance
  • All areas were very clean, fresh smelling and fit for purpose. All assessment rooms had good visibility, were well equipped, well furnished, and well maintained.

There was one area for improvement highlighted, for the Trust to ensure that we address the referral process to ensure waiting times are not hindered by ‘bulk’ referrals from University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL). LPT will progress this with colleagues at UHL.

Angela continues: “It was fantastic to read how the report highlights that staff were proud to work within the adult psychiatric liaison team and proud to show the CQC the work they did and the service they provided. They were constantly looking at ways to improve their work and the patient experience of the service. The report is a great example of how we work with our partners to ensure patients receive safe, effective and timely care, and we couldn’t be prouder of the team involved.”