Reviewing Adult Mental Health Care: new report on Lavender Ward, Queen Mary's Hospital

In July and August 2017 we visited Lavender Ward, Queen Mary's Hospital. 
Lavender Ward is an acute admissions and treatment unit for adults (18-65) experiencing a severe episode of mental illness. During our visit we spoke to patients and staff about their views and experiences of Lavender Ward. We also observed patient care and physical aspects of the ward environment.

Overall, patients felt that the care they received was compassionate and that staff were appropriate in their communication and engagement. However, there was a significant lack of therapeutic activities both in the number of activities and variety, which greatly diminished their experience on Lavender Ward.
Staff generally felt supported in their work and had good access to training to enable their professional development. They highlighted problems with finding patient accommodation and access to Social Services as the biggest challenges to providing good patient care.

To read our full report on Lavender Ward, click here

To read the Trust's action plan in response to our recommendations, click here

Do you have any experiences of mental health services? We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch