A Bradford psychiatric hospital has been warned by a health watchdog it is failing to protect the safety and welfare of its patients.

The Care Quality Commission is demanding immediate improvements are made at the private Cygnet Hospital in Bierley Lane, Bierley, and has issued it with a formal warning.

If the mental health hospital, which accommodates patients in four wards, fails to make urgent improvements to standards of care, it will face further action by the regulator.

The warning follows an unannounced visit by inspectors to Cygnet Hospital, in February, to follow up on a previous review of compliance.

On latest inspection, the CQC found the provider was failing to comply with regulations covering consent to care and treatment and management of records.

Inspectors found that there was no evidence within patients’ records to indicate that they had been informed about the role of Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHA).

Inspectors were concerned by a lack of consistency in the approach used to assess and document individuals’ mental capacity and it was unclear as to whether all patients were fully aware of their leave entitlement.

Some patients’ care records were disorganised and contained excessive amounts of information, making it difficult to locate specific details about different aspects of that patient’s care. The problems with the maintenance of patient care records was recognised by hospital management but had not been properly addressed.

Jo Dent, regional director of CQC in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, said: “The law says that these are the standards that everyone should be able to expect. Providers have a duty to ensure they are compliant.

“This warning sends a clear and public message that Cygnet Health Care needs to address this issue as a matter of urgency or face serious consequences.

“Our inspectors will return to the hospital in the near future and if we find that the provider is not making the required progress we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers to protect the people who use this service.”

A spokesman for Cygnet Hospital said: “There is nothing more important to us than the safety and welfare of those we care for. That is why we work closely with the CQC, who have found the hospital to be compliant in patient-related outcomes in previous visits.

“Nevertheless, we take very seriously any concerns over regulations covering management of records.

“We are therefore urgently taking the necessary steps to meet the requirements set by the CQC and will continue to monitor and improve quality to ensure compliance going forward.”