The Langford Centre

Updated 7 January 2026

The Langford Centre is an independent mental health hospital providing care and treatment to working-age adults with severe mental illness. The Langford Centre provides low secure forensic services, high-dependency rehabilitation services and acute inpatient mental health services to male and female working-age adults. Most patients are detained under the Mental Health Act (1983). The service is provided by The Langford Clinic Limited. The hospital is purpose built with seventy-six beds over five wards.

The Langford Centre registered with CQC in July 2011 to deliver the regulated activities: 

• Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

• Diagnostics and screening procedures. 

The service had a Registered Manager. 

We carried out a responsive assessment of The Langford Centre following a series of concerns around poor medicines management, poor safeguarding practices, staff competencies around safe and therapeutic observation, and an increased number of patient incidents including patients bringing contraband items onto the wards.  At this assessment, we assessed 3 assessment service groups; Acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care units where we assessed 15 quality statements, long stay or rehabilitation mental health wards for working age adults where we assessed 12 quality statements, and forensic inpatient or secure wards where we assessed 15 quality statements. For all three assessment service groups, we assessed the quality statements under the safe and well-led key questions. We visited the following wards: • Pevensey 16 bed male – Low Secure Mental Health Unit • Fairlight 16 bed female – Acute Mental Health Unit • Cooden 15 bed male – Acute Mental Health Unit • Seaford 8 bed male - Long Stay Rehabilitation Ward • Arlington 10 bed male – Acute Mental Health Unit.

The service was last inspected in March 2023 and rated requires improvement overall. We published the report based on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) previous inspection approach using key lines of enquiry (KLOEs), prompts and ratings characteristics. This assessment has been completed following the CQC’s new approach to assessment, the Single Assessment Framework (SAF).  We carried out our on-site assessment on 9 and 10 July 2024. This was an unannounced assessment, which meant the provider was unaware of our assessment visit. We assessed against the two key questions ‘are the services Safe?’ and ‘are the services Well-led?’ and awarded a rating under each of these key questions. We did not inspect the key questions effective, caring or responsive at this inspection. The ratings for effective, caring and responsive were awarded at the previous inspection of the service and have been used to aggregate an overall rating.  

Our overall rating of The Langford Centre remained the same. We rated it as requires improvement because the provider had failed to address significant concerns that we raised at the last inspection in 2023, including potential ligature anchor points across the wards. A ligature anchor point is anything that could be used to attach a cord or other material for the purpose of hanging or strangulation. Other concerns from the previous inspection which remained a concern on this inspection included the provider failing to ensure that staff followed safe systems and processes to safely manage medicines, the provider was still not operating a clear model for the long stay rehabilitation services in line with the Royal College of Psychiatrists recommendations, and the overall governance processes around the management of ligature risks and environmental risks remained a concern.

Updated 25 June 2024

The Langford Centre provides low secure forensic, high-dependency rehabilitation and acute inpatient mental health services to male and female working-age adults. Most patients are detained under the Mental Health Act (1983). The service is provided by Bramley Health Limited. The hospital is purpose built and provides seventy-six beds over six wards. We carried out a responsive assessment of the Acute wards for adults of working age at the Langford Centre following a series of concerns around poor medicines management, poor safeguarding practices, staff competencies around safe and therapeutic observation, and increased number of patient incidents. The service consisted of three wards. Arlington ward is a 10-bed ward for females. Cooden ward is a 15-bed ward for males and Fairlight ward is a 16-bed ward for females. The service was last inspected in March 2023 and rated requires improvement overall. We published the report based on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) old inspection approach using key lines of enquiry (KLOEs), prompts and ratings characteristics.

This assessment has been completed following the CQC’s new approach to assessment, the Single Assessment Framework (SAF). We carried out our on-site assessment on 9 and 10 July 2024. This was an unannounced assessment, which meant the provider was unaware of our assessment visit. We assessed against the two key questions ‘are the Acute wards for adults of working age adults Safe?’ and ‘are the Acute wards for working age adults well-led?’ and awarded a rating under each of these key questions. We did not inspect the key questions effective, caring or responsive at this inspection. The ratings for effective, caring and responsive were awarded at the previous inspection of the service and have been used to aggregate an overall rating. Our overall rating of this service stayed the same. We rated it as requires improvement because the provider did not ensure that people’s medicines were managed well, the environment was not always clean and well maintained and governance processes were not always effective. We identified breaches of Regulations 12 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Updated 25 June 2024

We carried out a responsive inspection of Pevensey ward, which is a 16 bedded male ward for patients who suffer from severe mental disorders and require a placement within a low secure environment. Pevensey ward was previously inspected in March 2022 and rated requires improvement. We published the report based on Care Quality Commission (CQC)’s old inspection approach using key lines of enquiry (KLOEs), prompts and ratings characteristics. This inspection has been completed following the CQC’s new approach to inspection, the Single Assessment Framework (SAF). We carried out our on-site inspection on 9 and 10 July 2024. This was an unannounced inspection, which means the provider was not pre-informed about the visit. During this inspection, we focussed on 15 quality statements across two key questions to determine whether the forensic inpatient ward was safe and whether leaders had the skills and experience to lead and support staff. As we assessed most quality statements in the key questions safe and well-led, new ratings were awarded for these key questions. We did not assess effective, caring and responsive, so the rating from the previous inspection has been used to rate these key questions. Our overall rating for this ward stayed the same. We rated it as requires improvement. At this inspection, the provider was found to be in breach of regulation 12 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The service did not manage medicines well and did not have systems and processes in place for proper oversight of medicines. The provider did not always manage the physical health of patients well. The provider had not taken all practicable steps to ensure the safety of its premises. The provider did not ensure all premises and equipment used by the service was properly maintained. The provider had not taken steps to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of patients and others who may be at risk which arise from the carrying on of the regulated activity.

However, patients felt supported by staff and involved in their care and treatment and managers supported staff. Patients said the ward environment was clean. The provider managed incidents well and reported incidents to CQC.The provider ensured that all staff received appropriate training, and professional development as is necessary to enable them to carry out the duties they were employed to perform.

Updated 25 June 2024

The Langford Centre provides low secure forensic, high-dependency rehabilitation and acute inpatient mental health services to male and female working-age adults. Most patients are detained under the Mental Health Act (1983). The service is provided by Bramley Health Limited. The hospital is purpose built and provides seventy-six beds over six wards.

In this assessment we reviewed the care on the long stay or rehabilitation mental health wards for working age adults assessment group, which consisted of Seaford Ward.

We assessed twelve quality statements from the safe and well-led key questions.

The assessment group of long stay or rehabilitation mental health wards for working age adults was assessed in a comprehensive inspection in March 2023. During the March 2023 inspection, the long stay or rehabilitation wards were rated Requires Improvement in Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well Led and Good in Caring.

In the 2023 inspection we found that the rehabilitation wards were in breach of Regulation 9 of the Health and Social Care Act concerning person centred care:

• We found that the care plans did not reflect patients’ personal goals and that patient and carer involvement should be recorded in the care plans where possible.
• We also identified that the rehabilitation wards did not follow a model of care and that the service should develop their plans to review the inpatient rehabilitation model.

We conducted this focussed assessment in July 2024 following a number of reported concerns relating to the safety of patients and staff, the culture on the wards and the overall management of the hospital.

During this assessment we identified 3 further breaches relating to the running of the ward.

• The provider did not ensure that patients had free access to fresh air. Patients on Seaford were dependent on staff being available to support them for access fresh to air. (Regulation 13)
• The management of the fire safety of the ward was compromised due to the staff not being able to open the boxes containing the firefighting equipment. (Regulation 12)

In addition the outstanding breaches from the 2023 inspection relating to Regulation 9 had not been met.

Following our inspection, the provider informed us that the issue relating to staff being unable to access the fire extinguishers had been addressed.

Updated 18 December 2020