Health service inspectors have formally warned an NHS mental health trust over its care services.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) told Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, based at St Ann’s Hospital, in Tottenham, that urgent improvements must be made following an inspection in March.

Inspectors found that ongoing issues with the way medicines were managed by crisis teams had not been addressed despite a previous inspection.

Providing training for non-nursing staff who supervised medicines had been a requirement of a previous inspection but had not been carried out, according to the report published by CQC today.

Most people were positive about the support they had received from the crisis teams, although some said their visits had been delayed or cancelled.

Inspectors also found that during a recent reorganisation, staff had not received regular professional supervision or specific training in regards to their new roles.

Jane Ray, head of hospital inspections for mental health in London, said: "We were disappointed to find when we returned that some actions the trust had told us they would take to improve medicines management after our previous inspection had not been completed.

"This sustained failure to meet the required standard is why we have issued them with a formal warning.

“Patients are entitled to be treated in services which are safe, effective, caring, well run, and responsive to their needs.

"Our inspectors will return unannounced in the near future to check that the required changes have been made.”

Mary Sexton, executive director of nursing, quality and governance said: “The quality and safety of care we provide to our patients is our number one priority and, as the CQC inspection found, the majority of people have a very positive experience of care from our crisis and home treatment teams.

“However, on this occasion the CQC found that in certain areas we were not reaching the consistently high standards which we always aim to achieve, which we accept and regret.”

Ms Sexton also stated that the trust has taken action and introduced weekly pharmacy audits for home treatment teams and ensuring additional medicines management training would be delivered to all staff.

She added: “We are committed to being a learning organisation and will continue to use the feedback we receive from staff, service users and regulators to improve the care and services we provide to our local community.”