Care centre passes quality inspection with flying colours

Company news

May 07, 2014

A Hull care centre for people with mental health conditions has passed a national quality audit with flying colours.

Riverbank, in Park Road, received a routine unannounced inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of all health and social care services in England. The CQC inspector passed the centre on all six core standards:

• consent to care and treatment
• care and welfare of people who use services
• cooperating with other providers
• management of medicines
• staffing
• assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.

Riverbank is operated by Care UK, a leading independent provider of health and social care services, and services are commissioned by Hull City Council and the local NHS. Riverbank offers rehabilitation and support for people with severe and long term mental health conditions. It integrates the physical design of the building into the recovery pathway giving people the opportunity and encouragement to regain their independence in a safe supportive environment.

The CQC inspector’s report praised Riverbank, saying: “People were treated with respect and dignity by the staff and they told us they felt safe. They were provided with information and choices regarding their daily lives and staff respected their decisions. People were supported by kind and attentive staff. We observed staff speak to people in an encouraging and professional manner. People were supported to be independent and take part in a range of activities in and

outside the service. The service worked well with other agencies to make sure people received their care in a joined up way.”

Riverbank Manager, Ken Brown, said: “We are pleased to have passed this important inspection and delighted with the comments from the inspector. The inspector’s conclusions are testimony to the dedicated work of the entire team at Riverbank.”

Someone who has benefited from the facilities at Riverbank is 41-year old Kevin Rush, who has been living with schizophrenia for most of his adult life. Kevin was referred to Riverbank by his social worker after a string of unsuccessful stays at various secure units in the North of England.

Kevin said: “I had nowhere to turn before – no-one else really knew how to handle me – but Riverbank has been brilliant, exactly what I needed. You have to work on getting better yourself but the team here help you as much or as little as you want. Everyone here has given me nothing but support, and my keyworker, Chris, is always there for me. If it wasn’t for Riverbank, I’d probably be back in a secure prison...or I might not be here at all. The facilities here are great; you can go and chill out in the bistro with other residents, watch TV or use the internet, and the team are always popping by for a chat.”

Kevin has progressed through all three rehabilitation stages at Riverbank and is now living in one of the unit’s independent flats. He said: “I’m feeling really positive about everything. I’m living on my own now but, if I ever do feel stressed, I know there’s someone I can call to talk to and a safe place to come to. It’s like a safety net.”

Care UK provides 19 mental health services that include residential, independent hospitals, specialist eating disorders and self-harm services, as well as supported living services, all dedicated to helping people with mental health conditions make the best possible recovery from their illness. Care UK also provides 50 primary care services including GP and walk-in services, out-of-hours, diagnostics centres, clinical assessment and treatment services and prison health services. It also runs 11 hospitals that specialise in elective, planned surgery.