News

Three adult acute wards, Daisy, Tulip and Sunflower, in Blossom Court at St Ann’s Hospital have been  accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Combined Committee for Accreditation (CCA).

They are the first acute wards to be CCA accredited across the Partnership. This marks another significant step for our services and recognises the high quality of clinical care and the quality of the therapeutic environments in Blossom Court.

Managing Director for Haringey Gary Passaway said “We are absolutely thrilled; this is no mean feat to achieve. The accreditation is a milestone not only for the Partnership, but also for the local Haringey community. For the on the day peer led reviews, it was not about putting on a show, but an opportunity to showcase what we do, day in and day out in Blossom court” This fantastic achievement comes after years of hard work from all the staff across these wards.

Since it’s opening in 2020, teams at Blossom Court have been working to meet over 200 different standards required to gain the accreditation. Standards include ensuring that all staff have completed all mandatory training and that all service users have had physical health checks.

Ward managers Ellen Apaw, Faisa Omar, Bessie Layea, Inpatient Matron Everylyne Njeri (pictured) led the submission with senior support from Lazarus Ndhlovu Associate Director of Nursing Haringey Division and Suneel Christian, Urgent Care Service Lead, working with doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, peer support workers and service users and their families closely to achieve all the standards.

Faisa Omar, Ward Manager of Tulip ward said “This was absolutely a team effort. I am so incredibly proud of everyone involved. We can now showcase to the community that the care given at Blossom Court is of the highest standard.”

As well as submitting evidence of these standards, there were also ward visits in January 2023. Staff, service users and carers were all interviewed about their experiences. Family members were asked questions about how responsive the ward is to complaints, how well service users are advocated for and how they find the ward environment. These interviews highlighted how much service users and carers appreciate the variety of activities on offer, such as multicultural activities and games.

Evelyn, Modern Matron for Blossom court, says it was “amazing to see how valued and appreciated carers feel” when they come to the wards.

“For me, there is a huge amount of pride in what the wards have achieved”, Lazarus Ndhlovu, Associate Director of Nursing Haringey Division, notes. It is increasingly difficult for wards to get accredited, with most wards not achieving accreditation on their first try, and over 70% of teams not meeting the standards.

The teams have demonstrated best practice that they are sharing with the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the rest of the Partnership. This includes practices such as trauma-informed care and developing the role of peer support workers.

“We can now provide assurance to our communities that we are a centre of excellence and are providing the highest level of care” noted Suneel Christian, Urgent Care Service Lead.

The senior leadership team want to highlight how proud and appreciative they are of everyone’s effort and commitment in achieving the accreditation, in between doing a challenging day job.

A huge congratulations to all those involved and a big thank you for all the hard work and ongoing dedication and commitment to providing high quality care for our service users.