The Priory Hospital Hemel Hempstead

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

Staff supported and involved patients in decisions about their care and treatment. Staff treated patients with kindness and compassion and knew the individual patient well. Patients' views were sought and listened to.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Staff attitudes and behaviours when interacting with patients showed they were discreet, respectful and responsive, providing patients with help, emotional support and advice at the time they needed it. During the assessment we observed staff engaging with patients. These interactions were positive, supportive and kind.

Staff supported patients to understand and manage their care, treatment or condition. We saw examples of patient involvement recorded in their care plans.

Staff directed patients to other services when appropriate and, if required, supported them to access those services.

Patients said staff treated them well and behaved appropriately towards them.

Staff understood the individual needs of patients, including their personal, cultural, social and religious needs. Patients could access spiritual activities that were meaningful to them.

Staff maintained the confidentiality of information about patients and records were kept securely.

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure their care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences, taking account of their strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The service made adjustments, both Dove and Robin wards were accessible to disabled patients and staff gave an example of a patient who was a wheelchair user and needed hoisting having a larger room to facilitate the hoist. Staff confirmed they had all the necessary equipment to provide for their care. Staff also gave an example of meeting different communication needs and described using communication cards with a non-verbal patient.

Staff ensured that patients could obtain information on treatments, local services and patients’ rights. The information provided was accessible,we saw a wide range of leaflets and information was made available on wards.

Managers ensured that staff and patients had easy access to interpreters and/or signers, if needed. For example, a patient had an interpreter that came in weekly and supported them with prayer. Staff ensured that patients had access to appropriate spiritual support. The service had a prayer room.

Patients had a choice of food to meet their dietary requirements. We saw evidence in care plans those dietary needs had been taken into account. Patients had access to a Dietician and a Speech and Language Therapist. Staff presented soft chew foods in a way that made them appealing. Patients gave feedback on the food at community meetings, we saw from minutes that patients overall thought the food had got better and was good.

The service promoted people’s independence, so they knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and well-being. Patients told us they knew their rights.

Patients had access to advocacy and knew how to do so.

We reviewed 6 care records and saw the wishes of individual patients had been considered.

Staff listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff took action to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff were aware of and dealt with any specific risk issues, such as falls or choking risks and care planned for these accordingly. We saw examples of falls risk assessments and dietary needs within patient records.

Staff identified and responded to changing risks to, or posed by, patients. Staff used de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for physical interventions when patients’ behaviours became heightened. Staff were trained in reducing restrictive interventions.

The service cared about and promoted the well-being of staff, they supported and enabled them to always deliver person centred care.

Staff told us they could access a psychologist on site, if they needed to and had access to a staff helpline.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued by their line managers. Staff told us they felt positive and proud about working within their teams. They said it was an enjoyable place to work.

However, whilst staff said that they received recognition for the work they do from their line managers, most staff felt the Provider could do more to improve staff recognition and rewards.

The service’s staff sickness rate was lower than the Provider target of 3.5% at 0.37% for Dove ward and 1.5% for Robin ward.

Staff appraisals included conversations about professional development and how it could be supported. At the time of assessment 100% of staff had received an annual appraisal of their work. Staff told us they could discuss their well-being at supervisions.