Monitor opens investigation at Essex mental health trust
Monitor has opened an investigation on behalf of patients into North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.
The health sector regulator has opened an investigation into North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEP) because of concerns over quality of the organisation’s services and state of its finances.
Monitor’s investigation comes after a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission rated services provided by the trust as “requires improvement”.
Monitor is also concerned by a decline in the trust financial performance. NEP- a specialist mental health trust that provides services to a million people across Essex - has predicted an underlying deficit of £3.3 million for the current financial year.
The regulator’s investigation will examine the causes of these problems. It will also enable Monitor to ascertain what support the trust needs to improve things for its patients.
Marianne Loynes, Regional Director at Monitor, said:
We have launched this investigation to better understand the challenges North Essex is facing in providing its patients with high quality care. We also want to understand how the trust can return to a healthier financial position.
Our investigation will explore how the trust can become better at quickly developing and implementing effective solutions to these challenges.
No decision has been taken on whether or not regulatory action will be required, and Monitor will announce the outcome of its investigation in due course.