Princess Royal Hospital Ward 7 (Acute Medicine/Short Stay Medical Ward) - Enter and View Visit Report

Report - 18 December 2015

The purpose of the visit was to learn about patients experiences of care, and understand how dignity is being respected in the Hospital environment.

Summary

We wanted to learn about:

Patients experiences of care, and understand how dignity is being respected in the Hospital environment
the experiences of their relatives/visitors, and observe the patients and relatives/visitors engaging with the staff and their surroundings
examples of good care practice.

Ward 7 is an Acute Medicine/Short Stay Medical Ward, (except Bay A which is an Ambulatory/Day Case Area for Cardiology – this was excluded from scope of the visit)

Key Findings

At the time of our visit, Ward 7 was mostly operating to a good standard of care with regard to dignity and respect despite the winter-seasonal stresses the hospital was handling
Patients described the staff as very good, kind and helpful, they made the patients stay comfortable, respected the patient’s dignity, there was good regard for privacy, and requests were promptly attended
On a small number of occasions when busy, some staff actions did not give due regard to their patient’s needs at the time
One patient observed that she did not get much staff attention as given to others, and she felt ignored. It appeared the staff had not recognised the patient’s high level of anxiety
Though all patients agreed the ward bays were kept very clean, on one occasion the toilet was not
Meals were ‘alright’, but evening/night-time snacks on offer was just plain toast
One patient did not find visiting times convenient for their family’s needs, though most found this acceptable. Most were not aware of parking concessions when patient stays were lengthy
Though staff appeared to know about the Carer’s Passport, few patients were aware
Staff told us they felt supported by management, and training was provided which included caring for people with Dementia