We rated The Brighton and Hove Clinic as good because:

• The service was compliant with same sex accommodation guidance and separated male and female bedrooms and grouped these to achieve as much separation as possible. Staff told us that risk would outweigh gender separation and if a patient was assessed as high risk they would be put in a bedroom nearest to the nursing office. Additional staff could be arranged to nurse a patient in their own room if required, and all bedrooms were en-suite so patients did not have to pass other patients to use bathroom or toilet facilities.
• Staff completed thorough patient risk assessments at point of admission and reviewed these frequently throughout admission.
• The ward had a comprehensive safeguarding policy. Staff training rates for safeguarding were 97% for safeguarding adults training and 99% for safeguarding children training.
• Staff completed comprehensive and timely assessments of all patients when they were admitted. Patient care plans were holistic, recovery focused and personalised. Patients all had a copy of their care plan.
• Staff had regular supervision and annual appraisals were up to date. All staff had current disclosure and barring service checks. Staff whose check was due for renewal had all applied for their renewal in advance so there was no time that the service had staff working without full checks in place.
• Patients were very complimentary about the care they received and said they felt safe on the ward. Patients reported that staff always had time for them and activities or leave were rarely cancelled. Staff were responsive to individual patient needs.
• The ward had a full range of rooms suitable for patient use. All patient bedrooms had a safe for patients to store items, and patients were able to personalise their own bedroom. The communal lounge had a drinks machine which patients could use to get a hot drink at any time of day or night. Patients had access to an outside space on the ground floor and a first floor outside terrace.
• Staff reported that senior managers were a visible presence on the ward and they felt able to approach them if they had any issues. Staff reported a high degree of job satisfaction and motivation. We observed a supportive staff culture and a real sense of team working. Staff were passionate about their job and spoke highly of the management structure in place.
• The hospital had good governance systems in place. This was reflected in the high rates of mandatory training, supervision and staff appraisals.

However:

• The ward did not have paper copies of incident forms to use in the event of the electronic system not being available for use.
• Patients told us there was little in the way of structured activities at weekends, and no access to activities providing physical exercise.