MENTAL health patients are being put at risk in Wiltshire, says the chief inspector of hospitals.

Professor Sir Mike Richards says the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust needs to take “significant steps” improve the quality of its services.

Sir Mike’s report, published today, follows a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in June.

Under CQC’s new inspection regime, a team of 70 people including doctors, nurses, hospital managers, trained members of the public, a variety of specialists, CQC inspectors and analysts spent four days at the trust meeting patients and staff.

They inspected 39 wards and 27 community services, as well as other specialist services.

Inspectors noted positive examples of staff providing emotional support to people in challenging conditions, but they had a number of concerns – particularly on the admission and forensic mental health wards.

The design of some wards made it difficult for staff to observe vulnerable patients and some wards had ligature points that could endanger people at risk of suicide. Inspectors found the problems were compounded by significant staff shortages on some wards.

The CQC has identified 32 areas where the trust must improve.