- SERVICE PROVIDER
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
This is an organisation that runs the health and social care services we inspect
Report from 15 January 2026 assessment
Contents
Ratings - Acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units
Our view of the service
The date of assessment was 21 and 22 May 2025
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides acute wards for adults of working age and a psychiatric intensive care unit. Some patients are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
The trust provides up to 122 beds for adults who require a hospital admission due to their mental health needs, either for assessment or treatment, or under the Mental Health Act.
These beds are located across two sites:
Silverwood Hospital, Chertsey
- Lyra Ward is an 18 bedded mixed gender ward for adults aged 18-65
- Vega Ward is an 18 bedded mixed gender ward for adults aged 18-65
- Orion Ward is an 18 bedded mixed gender ward for adults aged 18-65
- Polaris Ward is an 18 bedded mixed gender ward for adults aged 18-65
Farnham Road Hospital, Guilford
- Juniper Ward is an 18-bed mixed gender ward for patients from Waverley and Woking.
- Magnolia Ward is a 15-bed mixed gender ward for patients from Guildford.
- Mulberry Ward is a 15-bed mixed gender ward for patients from Hart and Rushmoor.
- Rowan Ward is a 10-bed mixed gender psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) with capacity to increase to 12. Rowan ward provides intensive care services for both men and women who present more risks and require increased levels of observation and support.
Silverwood is the newest mental health inpatient service in northwest Surrey. Silverwood replaced the now-closed Abraham Cowley Unit (ACU) in Chertsey, which opened in 1988 and provided mental health services to people in Chertsey and the surrounding areas. Silverwood Hospital has four wards of 16 beds (64 beds in total), all with single ensuite bedrooms, providing acute mental health care.
This inspection was triggered by concerns raised by the local stakeholders and patients in relation to the implementation of new systems and processes in the brand-new hospital setting at Silverwood Hospital. We carried out a comprehensive inspection and we visited all four wards at Silverwood Hospital. Following this we reviewed the up-to-date information we hold for Farnham Road Hospital to reach an overall rating for the service. During this comprehensive inspection we assessed all quality statements from the 5 key questions and found areas of good practice. We rated the service as good overall. Staff assessed and mitigated risks. Care plans guided safe practice. The provider had enough staff to ensure people’s safety and meet their needs. People were supported to have choice and control and were involved in planning their care.
People's experience of this service
Overall, patients were positive about the ward environment and the care they received. They told us that they were confident in the staff teams and the ward managers and the team’s ability to keep them safe. Most patients told us they felt well informed about what was happening on the wards and were receiving the care and treatment they needed.
However, feedback from some patients highlighted concerns about staffing stating there wasn’t always enough staff to support them on accessing the community from the hospital, sometimes staff did not have the time to engage therapeutically with them and there were sometimes breakdowns in communication with the staff. One patient expressed frustration about being told to “ask someone else” when they requested support with their care and another patient noted that nighttime medication required queuing. Another reported that their medication concerns were not addressed despite repeated attempts. One patient stated, “Feels like there’s nothing to do other than go to bed,” reflecting a lack of meaningful activity. Others described the environment as “ok” or “lovely,” and appreciated the availability of hygiene products and the absence of phone restrictions. A patient expressed uncertainty about their Section 17 leave status and wanted to access the gym but needed staff support.