By Philip Dewey

Copyright walesonline

A “troubled” NHS mental health unit which failed to adequately record its management of its smoking policy has resulted in a health board being ordered to pay almost £100,000. It comes as the unit was probed by external investigators following damning inspection reports. Hafan y Coed facility at Llandough hospital, in the Vale of Glamorgan , failed to comply with an enforcement notice issued by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) after patients were seen to be flouting a smoking policy. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, which runs the unit, admitted the failure, on the basis that management of the smoking policy and checks were carried out, but were not properly recorded in August and September 2021. F or the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter . In April of that year, an authorised inspector from SWFRS attended the facility and witnessed patients smoking in the lobby area, signs of cigarettes being put out on door frames and window sills, hundreds of butts left in the courtyard and patients possessing their own lighters. As a result, an enforcement notice was issued to Hafan y Coed, and a further inspection was arranged in May 2021, but upon returning the fire service found an “unchanged situation”. The health board submitted an action plan to be carried out, but when records for the Beech ward were examined for the months of August and September, there was no record that environmental and fire checks had been carried out by staff. On September 29, 2021, a patient set fire to their bedding, their clothing and paper which caused thick, acrid black smoke. As a result, the facility was evacuated and three fire engines attended in order to put out the blaze. It was found that the failure to properly record checks was not responsible for the fire and prosecutor Thomas Crowther acknowledged that the risk of arson would be impossible to eliminate in settings such as a mental health unit Mr Crowther added: “The smoking policy should have been used to reduce the risk of accidental fire… the health board did not give the problem the attention it deserved.” In mitigation for the health board, James Leonard KC said his client has always had a commitment to fire safety but due to the Covid pandemic, it was accepted that standards in recording environmental and fire checks had dropped. The health board has now introduced changes and there is a “no smoking” policy at all premises run by Cardiff and Vale UHB. The court also heard the health board had not “broken even” for the fourth year in a row and has a deficit of £56.5m. Judge Richard Kember fined Cardiff and Vale UHB £25,000 and ordered court costs of £70,000 to be paid. Last October the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales published a report highlighting serious failings at two of the facility’s adult mixed-gender wards, Cedar and Alder, including concerns over patient restraint incidents and a lack of training. And in July this year the watchdog released a critical report about another of the unit’s wards – Maple, which cares for men who have committed a serious crime or pose a risk to others. A source close to the unit told WalesOnline an external audit is now taking place there due to a lack of improvement following the inspection findings. It is linked to the Welsh Government’s “targeted intervention” into concerns over the beleaguered Cardiff and Vale health board . A government spokeswoman said: “Due to serious concerns relating to governance, culture, quality and safety and operational pressures, we escalated Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to level four (targeted intervention) in July. This is short of special measures which is the highest at level five. “Work is ongoing to support the health board in these areas, including adult mental health, to make the necessary changes.” A spokeswoman for the health board told us it is “working with a small external team of mental health professionals” to help ensure “best practice”. She added: “The team are with us for a few weeks and are working closely with the clinical teams to understand the models of care we provide and to share examples of good practice. “The feedback from the staff to date has been very positive and we are keen to continue to raise the profile of mental health services in our health board.”