A mental health trust which was this week slammed by the family over the death of a Salford man - has now been rated ‘good’ by inspectors.
Craig Creedon, 31, was discharged from Meadowbrook Mental Health Unit in Salford on December 5 after he was rescued by police from the top of a 14-storey building.
He spent four hours being assessed but, after being released, took his own life shortly afterwards at Eccles railway station.
At an inquest this week his family slammed his care and a coroner also criticised communication failures by medical staff.
However, in a report published on Friday, the trust which runs the unit was rated 'good' by the Care Quality Commission.
Read more:
Read more:
Inspectors visited the Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust in February to review all aspects of his care.
The inquest in Bolton heard how Craig had been detained under the mental health act and taken to the unit for a full psychiatric assessment.
His family said they believed he would finally get the help he needed to overcome his long-term depression and say staff promised to alert them when Craig was discharged.
However a communication blunder meant that the next call they received was to tell them he was dead.
Both the coroner and Greater Manchester West Mental Health Trust acknowledged there had been failings and a review of communication policies has since taken place.
Although inspectors gave the trust a clean bill of health, they echoed the family’s concerns about notification procedures.
The report by the health watchdog rated the trust as “good” in four out of five areas, but said aspects of “safety” required improvement.
An inquest into Craig’s death heard how he underwent a full assessment by a team of two psychiatrists and a mental health worker.
Craig Creedon's parents speak about his death
Despite several worried phone calls from his family begging them not to let him leave, and to inform them of the outcome of the assessment, only one attempt to call was made AFTER Craig was discharged.
No message was left and the contact numbers were not stored electronically but instead written down.
And the report by the CQC highlighted the trust’s continuing difficulty in finding records, highlighting that not all staff were able to use the new electronic record system confidently.
It also revealed feedback from service users and their families regarding communication and some said there was a lack of staff and respect, and that some only cared about 'their goals'.
Despite this, the CQC also found many positive aspects of the trust branding staff as 'caring' and 'professional' saying they worked hard to support the patients using the services.
Bev Humphrey, chief executive of GMW said: “We are delighted that the CQC has rated our Trust as ‘good’. The inspection process was robust and challenging – as it should be – and we are pleased that the rating reflects the commitment we hold to offer the best mental health care and support possible.
“It was excellent to see that the CQC described our staff as ‘kind, caring, professional and non-judgemental’ and that they treated service users with dignity and respect. These are fundamental aspects of care and it is great to have it confirmed by the CQC that we are getting it right.”
