Mental health hospital ward achieves top inpatient accreditation
Berrywood Hospital’s Burrows Ward has been recognised as among the best in the country for its care of children and young people.
The national Quality Network for Inpatient CAMHS (QNIC) is a quality improvement network developed to ensure best practice is being achieved in inpatient mental health services for children and young people.
It is run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI) and the Burrows Ward has achieved the network’s highest accreditation following a recent inspection.
It means the ward has become only the second in the East Midlands to attain the high standard after "The Sett" unit in St Crispins in Northampton, both of which are run by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT).
Dr Sachin Sankar, Deputy Medical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist at the Burrows Ward, said:
“This is fantastic recognition for the Burrows Ward and is testament to a lot of incredibly hard work by everyone involved.
“The accreditation is very hard to get and it’s not easy to meet the criteria, but it gives reassurance to our patients that best practice is being consistently delivered.
“There are just a handful of units that have achieved the accreditation across the country, and the fact that the only two in the East Midlands is testament to NHFT’s positive ethos and approach.
“Every single member of staff has worked so hard and deserves our thanks, with special mention to the Ward Matron Sinead Fay, and our Business Support Officer Sharon Mallon, who worked incredibly hard. Congratulations also to The Sett, who have recently received their reaccreditation.”
The QNIC’s peer review team gives independent verification of excellence in things like standards of care, current facilities, environmental facilities, standards of documentation, and they interview staff, parents, and the young people on the ward as part of the process.
Amongst the many areas of achievement in the report are the following:
- Individualised and co-produced care plans
- Integrated ward and personal timetables
- Caring staff
Matthew Scudder, Deputy Programme Manager at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which runs the QNIC quality improvement network, said:
“QNIC would like to congratulate the Burrows on achieving accredited status until March 2025. Alongside their sister CAMHS ward on the Berrywood Hospital site, The Sett, they make up two of just 16 CAMHS units across the UK and Ireland to have currently demonstrated compliance with 100% of the QNIC type 1 standards, ensuring young people, frontline staff and families are treated and supported safely, with dignity and respect.
“We would like to highlight the dedication and tenacity from Sinead, Sharon and the Burrows' team both in their extensive preparations for the review process and persevering throughout the appraisal process conducted by the accreditation committee.
“To have achieved this accolade in the midst of recovery from the impacts of the pandemic on our member services exemplifies their ongoing commitment to quality improvement and maintaining high standards of inpatient care.”
Berrywood Hospital in Duston, Northampton, provides a range of mental health services for adults and young people.
The accreditation will last for three years until 2025.