There were six patients on Hillside Ward when we visited. Patients did not always want to be admitted to the unit and were often detained under the Mental Health Act so that they could receive appropriate care and treatment.

We met all six patients and spoke with four of them to get their views of the service. Two of the patients we spoke with had limited verbal ability and did not make use of signing. This meant we could not interview them in depth to obtain their views, although we were able to observe their mood and how they interacted with staff.

Patients were generally positive about their experience of Hillside Ward. They told us they felt safe and they liked the staff.

Ash Green Hospital provides community inpatient and outpatient services for people with learning disabilities. There are two inpatient wards, Hillside with eight beds and Valley View with five beds.

Hillside ward provides assessment and treatment for people with learning disabilities who may have complex mental health issues and / or behaviour that challenges services. Patients may be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Valley View ward provides short-term care for people with learning disabilities. This is usually planned as respite for families and carers, or can be provided urgently at short notice when needed.

The patients and relatives we spoke with were mostly positive about the care provided at Ash Green Hospital and we saw they were involved in making decisions about care. Patients were treated with kindness and respect and their privacy and dignity were upheld.

Patients at Ash Green Hospital were protected from abuse and avoidable harm by the systems, processes and practices in place. Staff had received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and were confident about reporting their concerns. Risks for individual patients and in the ward environments were identified, assessed and effectively managed.

Care and treatment was evidence based and resulted in good outcomes for patients. We saw effective collaboration and communication among members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) to support the planning and delivery of patient-centred care. Staff were supported with clinical supervision, appraisal, and relevant training. However, staff uptake of clinical supervision was not monitored effectively

Patients received care and treatment to meet their needs. Patients and their relatives told us their health and wellbeing had improved since using the services at Ash Green Hospital. The service was accessible and provision was made for the specific needs of individual patients. However, the care plans were in a format that was not easy for some people with learning disabilities to understand.

Planning for the patient leaving hospital started on the day of admission and discussions involved the patient, their families, and support staff from other providers where appropriate.

Most staff we spoke with were aware of the Trust’s vision and values. Staff told us they enjoyed working at Ash Green Hospital. They felt there was good team working and they were supported by their managers.