Nuffield Health Wolverhampton Hospital

Updated 11 October 2022

Nuffield Health Wolverhampton Hospital opened in 1978 and is set on a hill within six acres of woodland. The hospital is situated approximately five miles from the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

The hospital provides a range of clinical services including orthopaedics, ophthalmology, oncology, ear, nose and throat (ENT), gynaecology and general surgery. It has two operating theatres of which one has a laminar flow system. There are 27 en-suite bedrooms and two chemotherapy rooms, on the second floor and the hospital has a diagnostic suite offering mammography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and general x-ray. It also offers 10 consulting rooms within the outpatient department.

Nuffield Health Wolverhampton provides both day surgery and inpatient treatment for patients across a range of specialties. Surgical specialities and procedures include primary hip and knee arthroplasty, spinal, breast, urological, cranial and vascular surgery. The hospital currently provides care and treatment for adults over 18 years only.

The most common procedures undertaken at the hospital are cataract operations, joint replacements and diagnosis of stomach problems using endoscopic investigations.

Updated 11 October 2022

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available six days a week.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• The managers recognised the challenges posed by the aging facility and equipment. Staff described the environment in one of the theatres as cramped. However, there was no definitive plan with timescales to address these concerns.
• The hospital did not undertake an effective health and safety risk assessment or audit. Risks such as the clutter in theatre equipment room which made it difficult for staff to access equipment and clean the floor effectively was not identified.
• The hospital did not have an established management team because the hospital director and matron had recently started working at the service. The matron was interim until the new matron commenced employment in October 2022.
• The response rate for both the patient satisfaction and staff surveys was low (20 -30%).

Updated 27 April 2017

The hospital had suspended these services before the inspection.

Updated 27 April 2017

Overall, we have rated the outpatients and diagnostic imaging department as good. We rated safe, caring and responsiveness as good and well led as requires improvement. We do not have sufficient evidence to rate effectiveness.

• Infection prevention measures were in place and we saw staff adhering to ‘arms bare below the elbow’ guidelines.
• All areas we inspected were visibly clean and the infection prevention lead carried out regular hand hygiene audits in the department.
• The hospital regularly serviced and checked equipment within the department.
• The hospital securely stored medicines and staff checked the stock within the department.
• The department had clear processes for reporting incidents.
• The management of the department discussed incidents locally and with senior management.
• The hospital had processes in place to escalate concerns in the event of deteriorating health of a patient.
• The hospital had medical cover from a resident medical officer (RMO) 24 hours a day. In addition, staff within the department had access to on-call radiographers’ out-of-hours.
• Patient feedback was very positive about the hospital environment and treatment received. Patients told us that staff were kind and caring. We witnessed good staff interactions with patients during our inspection and noted that relatives were included appropriately in consultations.
• A new chemotherapy service was introduced into the hospital and was in its infancy. The service was small but provided safe care and treatment to patients.
• The department had chaperone options available to all patients. A chaperone is a person who acts as a witness for both a patient and a medical practitioner and as a safeguard for both parties during a medical examination or procedure.
• The department exceeded its target for referral to treatment times (RTT) during April 2015 to March 2016.
• The hospital had a clear strategy and values, which staff embedded.

Updated 11 October 2022

Our rating of this location stayed the same. We rated it as good. See the overall summary above for details.