Nuffield Health Shrewsbury Hospital

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

The service worked with patients to understand and manage risks. Care met patients' needs in a way which was safe and supportive and enabled them to do the things that mattered to them.

When people communicated their needs, emotions or distress, staff could manage this in a positive way which protects their rights and dignity and maximised learning for the future about the causes of their distress.

We looked for evidence that patient were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We assessed the levels of patient’s privacy and dignity afforded to patients. We asked patients to tell us about their experiences, if they were respected, if they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also looked for evidence that every effort was made to take patient’s wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. 

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. 

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

The service was exceptional at treating patient with kindness, empathy and compassion and how they respected patient’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Patients received care and support that was exceptionally compassionate and kind and took account of their needs. All patients we spoke to said they or their loved one were treated with exceptional kindness and compassion. Everyone we spoke with confirmed their privacy and dignity was promoted in their day-today care and support. People told us:” All the staff have been wonderful”, “They can’t do enough for you” “I can’t fault them”. Leaders promoted and supported staff to ensure patient dignity and privacy were central to the care they provided. At every opportunity, curtains were drawn, blinds were closed on bedroom doors and bedroom doors were closed by staff when they provided care. The Nuffield patient satisfaction survey identified 100% of patients said they were given the privacy they needed and 100% of patients said they were treated with respect.

Patients were kept informed in a sensitive and timely manner, including updates on test results, transfer to theatre, time expected for return to the ward and changes to their treatment plan. When patients were discharged, they were supported to understand their ongoing treatment, including when to seek further help. This supported safe and informed decision-making.

In theatres patients were covered as far as possible and not unduly exposed. Staff were respectful to the anaesthetised patients. On wards and when moving around the hospital, patients were supported to be dressed or always covered.

Patients felt staff knew and understood them, including their preferences and wishes. Information about patient’s wishes were recorded. 

Patients were assured information about them was treated confidentially and they knew staff respected their privacy. Staff followed policy to keep patient care and treatment confidential. Conversations between staff and patients were kept private and sensitive information was never shared in the presence of those not authorised to hear it. 

Staff in the anaesthetic room responded to patient’s anxieties about their operation and took steps to reduce the stress within the environment.  Patients who were particularly anxious, or who had cognitive impairment were able to have somebody familiar with them. 

The service treated patients as individuals and made sure patient’s care, support and treatment met patient’s needs and preferences. Staff took account of patient’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. 

Staff recognised and respected patient’s needs. They always took patient’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs into account, and identified ways to meet them. This included patients with protected equality characteristics, people and patients who had complex needs.

Staff understood and respected the personal, cultural, social, and religious needs of patients and how they may relate to care needs. For example, a dedicated room was available to allow privacy prayer, reflection or just a quiet space.

Care and treatment was planned in advance with the patients and they were aware of their care, treatment and hospital stay. We reviewed 10 care plans and saw these were tailored to individual needs and circumstances.

There was a dementia box that had a large clock and fidget objects that staff could access for patients with dementia.

Managers made sure staff, and patients, families and carers had interpreters or signers when needed. Staff were discreet and responsive when caring for patients. Staff took the time to understand the needs of the patients and interact with them and people close to them in a respectful and considerate way. We saw a patient whose first language was not English, staff had arranged for a translator to be present throughout their hospital stay (including the time they were in theatre). We saw staff were extremely kind and thoughtful to the patient, their relative and the translator. Staff offered drinks and refreshments and gave both the patient and the translator time to translate and clarify anything the patient was unsure of.

There were hearing loops available in reception areas for patients if required. There was a choice of food to meet the dietary requirements of religious and ethnic groups and to account for allergies and intolerances.

The service promoted patient’s independence, so patient knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Patients told us they were fully informed of all the treatment options available to them, including the potential risk. They were aware of their condition, the surgery they required and plans in place for any ongoing treatment or follow up.

All patients we spoke with said they had sufficient information for what was happening before, during and post-surgery.  The hospitals patient experience dashboard showed that 100% of patients felt they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care.  

Patient satisfaction surveys showed that Nuffield Health Shrewsbury Hospital demonstrated high level of patient satisfaction with consultants, 93.5% of patients identified they would recommend their consultant to friends and family if they needed similar care and treatment.

We saw patients were encouraged to be as independent as soon as they were able following surgery (usually on the day of their surgery). This included becoming mobile and able to move around the ward area, toilets and bathroom. Physiotherapists provided exercise routines when needed and supported patients to learn new ways of moving, so they could be up out of bed as soon as possible. We saw several patients who had knee and hip replacement get out of bed with assistance on the day they had their surgery. Staff confirmed this promoted their recovery with most patients who had hip or knee replacements discharged home the day after their surgery mobile with walking aids such as sticks or a walking frame.

We saw the patients’ menu choices included hot and cold drinks and food, lighter meal options and specific dietary needs such as vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. Snacks and sandwiches were available when requested as well as out of hours.

The friends and family test identified 100% of patients confirmed they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. The result suggested a high standard of care, strong communication, and a respectful environment, with opportunities to improve emotional support and medication-related information. 

The staff listened to and understood patient’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to patient’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

The Friends and Family Test feedback was consistently positive and demonstrated that patients felt informed and supported. Of those surveyed, 99% said staff had told them who to contact if they were worried about their condition and 98.8% said they felt safe.

Staff in the anaesthetic room responded to patient’s anxieties about their operation and took steps to reduce the stress within the environment.  Patients who were particularly anxious, or who had cognitive impairment were able to have somebody familiar with them. We saw a patient whose first language was not English had a translator with them both in the anaethetic room and in the operating theatre.

Patients said staff responded to their needs quickly and efficiently, especially if they were in pain, discomfort, or distress. Whilst we were on site we saw arrangements had been made for an NHS patient to extend their stay in hospital as staff were concerned about their mobility and falls risk. This patient told us staff had been marvellous and had enjoyed their extended stay to ensure they were staff until care arrangements could be made for them when they returned home.

Following discharge, the hospital contacted patients to check they were recovering and to provide an opportunity for them to raise any questions.  If they had any concerns staff made arrangements for them to either be reviewed in Nuffield Hospital Shrewsbury or in the local acute hospital. Patients requiring additional support received further contact and guidance. Patients who had concerns regarding wound healing were rapidly signposted to the hospitals out-patient wound clinic to ensure timely assessment and continuity of care. 

There were appropriate arrangements in place for transfer of patients who needed critical care. Staff discussed a recent event which had been reviewed and found staff acted timely and appropriately to arrange the patient to be transferred.

Patients could summon staff with a call bell and staff frequently went to their rooms to check them and assess their needs. Staff observed patients and intervened where they saw they were uncomfortable, uncovered or distressed. People appeared well cared for, clean and with the items they needed such as glasses or walking aids close by. Staff encouraged people, where able, to eat and drink sufficient to maintain health.

There were emergency call bells sited close to each bed and in recovery and theatre to ensure staff could call for additional and expert help could be summoned quickly.

People who used mobility aids such as walking frames or crutches had them close by and were assisted to use them until they regained their usual level of mobility. 

Staff gave patients and those close to them help, emotional support and advice when they needed it. They were empathetic and considerate of the stress of a theatre environment.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff had access to resources and facilities for safe working. This included being able to take breaks. Staff were able to order hot and cold meals whilst on duty at minimal cost. Staff were able to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the service.  

All staff we spoke with felt valued by their leaders and their colleagues. Staff had been involved and had opportunities to contribute to service development.  We spoke to staff who told us, about developments they had suggested both to improve patient care and experience but also improve their work environment with new equipment and developments to the environment of the hospital.

Staff were able to provide feedback in staff surveys, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve services. We reviewed the most recent staff survey results which showed scores for the theatres and the ward. Scores for theatres were generally lower between 6.4 for recognition to 8.5 out of 10 for management support, Results for the ward ranged between 7.2 out of  to 8.8 out of 10 for engagement.  We saw action plans and a summary of you said we did. One action was to make the staff appraisal system more effective and for staff to have a more active role. We saw the new appraisal records had been introduced.

There were 5 emotional wellbeing champions in the hospital who staff could go to if they needed to talk and staff utilised the service. We reviewed a set of meeting minutes from the employee well-being forum in April 2026. We saw actions included arranging training on neurodiversity and ordering sunflower lanyards. 

There were various services staff could utilise in relation to their health and emotional well-being including articles, webinars and advice of the extranet, free access to mental health self-help tools, free emotional wellbeing therapy, employee programme as well as gym memberships. 

We saw a presentation relating to psychological safety. The presentation had details of how leaders could use a psychological safety leadership toolkit including resources and top tips and everyday action for leaders. 

The provider and local leaders ensured that staff with protected characteristics felt included and respected within the service. We spoke with a staff member who told us about arrangements made to accommodate their needs.