Boston West Hospital

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

The service had systems and process to provide good care for patients. Leaders investigated incidents and shared lessons learned with the whole team.

Leaders encouraged a positive culture of safety based on honesty. Staff understood how to protect patients from abuse and recognised incidents and reported them appropriately. Leaders made sure there were enough competent staff to keep patients safe. The environment was clean, and infection risks were well managed.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant patients were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

We have not awarded this service a score for Safe.

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

The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety based on openness and honesty. Safety events were investigated and reported thoroughly with lessons learned to identify and embed good practices.

Managers investigated incidents relating to outpatients. We reviewed evidence of two incidents which led to improved care and treatment. One related to surgical risks guidance which ensured staff passed on copies of consent forms to patients. The other promoted information about medication needs or allergies on every page of patient records to ensure these were not overlooked by staff.

Please refer to the surgery report for more details about this quality statement.

The service worked with people and their partners to establish and maintain systems of care where safety is managed, monitored and assured. They also ensured continuity of care within the service and when people were referred to different services.

Nursing staff, healthcare assistants and healthcare practitioners in outpatients worked well together and there were good working relationships between clinical and non-clinical staff.

We observed a patient's journey through a clinical procedure, from initial check in with the outpatients’ team to their post operative recovery. We saw appropriate checks and handovers between teams. We checked electronic patient records and found these to be correct and up to date. Staff told us that outpatients preparing for surgery were always asked about their consent and offered guidance about the procedure.

The patient's welfare was checked regularly during appointments. Patients also received phone calls 24 hours after their procedures to check their progress, and outpatient team staff arranged any follow up appointments.

The service worked with people to improving their health while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. Staff made sure they shared any concerns quickly and appropriately.

Please refer to the surgery report for more details about this quality statement.

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by providing care in a way that was safe and supportive and enabled them to do the things that matter to them.

The service had guidance in place to ensure staff discussed the benefits and risks of treatments with patients before procedures. Staff told us they discussed the risks with patients at initial appointments in the outpatient department, and these were mentioned again when obtaining patients' consent throughout the treatment. They said patients were offered the chance to ask questions or raise concerns at all stages of their treatment.

Patients told us the procedures were well explained, and the risks and benefits were discussed. They said they felt confident they could ask further questions and make informed decisions about their treatment.

The service identified and controlled potential risks in the care environment and made sure that the equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

The service had policies covering cleaning, infection risk management and equipment maintenance to minimise environmental risks. A dedicated housekeeping team cleaned the entire hospital at the end of each day, with managers carrying out regular audits of the tasks and environments.

We saw that all areas in the outpatient’s department were visibly clean and tidy, equipment was checked regularly, and rooms were cleaned between patients.

Please refer to the surgery report for more details about this quality statement.

The service made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.

The service had a full outpatient team including nursing staff, healthcare assistants and other practitioners, such as physiotherapists. At the time of the inspection there were no vacancies at the service.

Data showed that staffing numbers and skills were appropriate for the outpatient department. In October 2025, figures showed an overall 98.8% completion of mandatory training by outpatient staff. The training coordinator sent monthly training compliance emails to heads of departments so any gaps in training could be addressed.

Please refer to the surgery report for more details about this quality statement.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected any infections and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

We saw evidence that the outpatient department achieved an overall 99.7% compliance in the monthly 50 steps cleaning audits.

We saw that staff were bare below their elbows and washed their hands between patient appointments. We observed equipment being cleaned after use and in date single-use privacy curtains in consulting rooms. Staff told us they had sufficient and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep patients safe.

Please refer to the surgery report for more details about this quality statement.

The service made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. They involved people in planning, including when changes happen.

Outpatients staff did not prescribe medication as this was done during the surgical consultation. However, if patients had questions or raised concerns about their medication, outpatient staff would arrange an appointment with consultants so patients could discuss this.

Please refer to the surgery report for more details about this quality statement.