³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

A patient at a mental health hospital took their own life after a Covid-19 isolation area created "blind spots" on a ward, a report has found.

A Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of Langdon Hospital in Dawlish, Devon, found safety and staffing concerns.

It said the Devon Partnership NHS Trust must make "urgent improvements".

The poor lines of sight caused by the coronavirus safety changes were not identified by the trust.

This led to a patient on the Ashcombe Ward of the Dewnans Centre at the hospital taking their own life on 31 July, the CQC said.

It happened in an area of the ward where staff "could not easily observe patients", the inspection concluded.

The report did not give any details about the patient who died.

An urgent inspection of the trust was undertaken in August after the death and other safety issues had been reported to the CQC.

The healthcare regulator found a "number of concerns" relating to patient safety and staffing levels.

There was also an issue with the number of vacancies on Holcombe Ward, with staff left "stressed and exhausted following the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic".

This combined with the ward being "heavily reliant on bank and agency workers" left gaps in staffing which "could potentially affect the safe care and treatment of patients", the inspection found.

Karen Bennett-Wilson from the CQC said the trust had been informed of the need to take "immediate action" following the "tragic death".

She said: "We are continuing to monitor the trust closely and will not hesitate to take action if it fails to make the necessary improvements."

A spokesman for the trust welcomed the report and acknowledged the "important concerns" raised.

He said: "We have already started to address many of these concerns and we will be working closely with the CQC to monitor progress."