20 May 2011
During a routine inspection
People, who were able, told us that their choices and preferences were listened to by staff and that they were involved in making decisions about their treatment and care as far as they were able.
People told us that there was not very much to do on the wards in the way of social activities. People told us that they could make decisions about how they spent their day and were asked for their preferences. One person was asked how they would spend their day and when we asked somebody what they would be doing that afternoon, they told us 'I'm going back to bed for a sleep'.
People told us that the meals provided at the hospital included enough choice and variety and that the standard of the food was good. Over lunch with some people using the service, they told us 'The food is always good' and we saw some people having second helpings. We spoke with a visitor who attends at mealtimes to support their relative to eat and drink. They explained that this was because, 'the staff are lovely, but there is not enough time for them to spend with my relative, who takes such a long time to eat'. The visitor was very keen to explain that this was not a criticism of the staff.
For those people who were not able to talk with us, because they had a diminished level of capacity, we observed how they were helped to eat and drink.
Staff told us how care was coordinated between different departments and different health professionals. They told us that they felt communication was good, with staff holding a 'catch up' meeting every Monday and a full ward round every Thursday to ensure everybody was working together to meet the needs of people using the service
People told us that they felt able to complain to staff if there was a problem and were confident that the appropriate action would be taken.
People on the wards and staff told us that the hospital was clean and we saw that the general standard of hygiene appeared to be good. A visitor told us that the 'Ward is always clean and the beds are always very clean'.
Each person we spoke with was complementary about the kindness and helpfulness of the staff. One person said, 'They will help you with anything'. Another person told us that staff help them whenever they needed it. A visitor told us that in their opinion the staff were always very attentive to their relatives needs. People using the service told us that, 'Sometimes you have to wait a long time for staff to come to you'.
We saw that the records were stored securely and were located so that they were accessible to staff should they need them quickly. However, we observed that some records were not accurate and not fit for purpose. The provider has already acknowledged shortfalls in this area and is making changes to the current documentation used.