{"id":147382,"date":"2025-11-22T17:11:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T17:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/147382\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T17:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T17:11:08","slug":"devon-mental-health-unit-told-to-make-urgent-improvements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/147382\/","title":{"rendered":"Devon mental health unit told to make urgent improvements"},"content":{"rendered":"

There we concerns over the safety of people using the service<\/p>\n

William Telford Senior Reporter and Business Specialist<\/p>\n

15:14, 22 Nov 2025<\/p>\n

\"TheThe entrance to Langdon Hospital at Dawlish(Image: Google Street View)<\/p>\n

A Devon mental health hospital has been ordered to make urgent improvements following an inspection.<\/p>\n

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors carried out a surprise visit to Langdon Hospital in Dawlish<\/a> in April this year, following concerns raised over the safety of people using the service and the effectiveness of its leadership.<\/p>\n

Inspectors found five breaches of regulation related to safe care and treatment, person-centred care, dignity and respect, staffing and good management of the service.<\/p>\n

It found that staff lacked training and resources, weren’t fully aware of safety risks, and that care plans were out of date, as well as experiencing staff shortages.<\/p>\n

The CQC told the Devon Partnership NHS<\/a> Trust, which runs the hospital, to submit an action plan showing what it was doing immediately to address the issues.<\/p>\n

The watchdog also issued a warning notice to focus the trust\u2019s attention on making rapid and widespread improvements to ensure safe care and treatment, as well as good management of the service.<\/p>\n

However, the inspection also found some positives, including that staff promoted healthy lifestyles, supported people\u2019s physical wellbeing and long-term health, maintained strong partnerships with external agencies, and that people at the hospital could access \u201cmeaningful community-based activities\u201d.<\/p>\n

The trust told the BBC<\/a> that an \u201cintensive programme of improvement\u201d has now been put in place.<\/p>\n

Langdon Hospital is a secure unit for men from the South West who, because of their mental health needs, have had contact with the legal system and require a safe and secure environment for treatments, therapies and care.<\/p>\n

Catherine Campbell, CQC\u2019s deputy director of operations in Devon, said: \u201cWhen we inspected these wards at Langdon Hospital, we found inconsistent care planning and risk management affecting the quality of people\u2019s daily lives and recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaff were committed to providing good care, but were hindered by gaps in training, unclear guidance, and limited access to resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result, care plans were often outdated, not tailored to individuals, and didn\u2019t reflect people\u2019s goals or preferences.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people told us they weren\u2019t always involved in decisions about their care, medications, or risk assessments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis left some feeling frustrated, powerless, or stuck in their recovery. Staff sometimes used risk assessment tools inconsistently, which made restrictions feel unfair or punitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaff had limited awareness of safety risks in the environment, which affected people\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaff shortages during busy or critical periods also impacted people\u2019s ability to access leave or take part in activities, affecting their independence and sense of control.\u201d<\/p>\n

But she added: \u201cHowever, people consistently praised occupational therapy and some individual staff members for supporting their wellbeing and enabling meaningful engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaff improved physical health monitoring, allowing early intervention for emerging concerns, and staff demonstrated openness and a willingness to speak up.\u201d<\/p>\n

But she stressed: \u201cDespite these pockets of improvement, people\u2019s general experiences showed that care wasn\u2019t always person-centred, and inconsistent policies and risk management reduced people\u2019s autonomy, left some feeling frustrated or unsafe, and limited opportunities for a positive recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have told the trust where it needs to make rapid improvements and will continue to monitor the service closely to ensure people stay safe while this happens.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There we concerns over the safety of people using the service William Telford Senior Reporter and Business Specialist…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[1705,90064,163,85,46,522,523,2662],"class_list":{"0":"post-147382","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-bbc","9":"tag-dawlish","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-mental-health","14":"tag-mentalhealth","15":"tag-nhs"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}