The Beaumont 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

We rated safe as good.

The environment was clean and well maintained and was safe for use and that staff were trained to use equipment. We checked that medicines were stored correctly, and staff were trained in the safe use of medicines. We saw staff had received safeguarding training and staff we spoke to knew how to raise concerns. Staff described a culture where they could raise concerns, and they learnt lessons from incidents. We saw minutes of team meeting where concerns had been raised, and the actions taken to mitigate them.

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.

The service had a proactive learning culture. Incidents were tracked through the governance meetings and shared through the heads of department meeting and then discussed with staff at team meetings. There was a patient safety incident review group which monitored actions and any themes. Staff provided an example where a safeguarding incident was identified, the learning was shared across the hospital and was to be used as a focus in safeguarding supervision. Staff told us that they could suggest areas for improvement and were listened to.

See the surgery report for further information about how the hospital managed incidents and duty of candour.

The hospital had a policy in place which outlined the admission criteria. Staff discussed patients with changing health needs at multidisciplinary meetings to determine if they were suitable for treatment. Speciality outpatient clinics were scheduled throughout the week between 8am and 9pm. The referral to treatment team prioritised patients who had waited longest, and patients had choices about the date and time of their appointments. The physiotherapy department had flexible slots and had met their key performance indicators for waiting times.

The service worked with the local NHS provider and Integrated Care Board to optimise the service they could provide for patients in the local area.

Staff worked together to ensure that patients had everything in place for their treatment to avoid delays or cancellations to their surgery. During morning meetings staff identified if any patients had any special requirements, such as requiring an interpreter. They worked in partnership with patients’ GPs where needed to ensure that any underlying health conditions were managed prior to their treatment.

Staff kept people safe. The service had safeguarding policies in place. Staff we spoke with were able to outline the safeguarding process. All outpatient and physiotherapy staff had completed the appropriate levels of safeguarding training.

See the surgery report for more information about how the hospital managed safeguarding.

The service had a clear inclusion criterion to ensure that they cared for patients whose risks they could manage. The preoperative assessment covered both physical and psychological needs of patient prior to admission.

A patient passport was in place which enabled staff to provide appropriate care for people with autism and learning disabilities. Staff had undertaken mandatory training about autism and learning disabilities.

The service assessed patients for risks relevant to their condition and treatment. Assessments included a patient’s risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), pressure ulcers, falls, and the risks associated with a patient’s other health conditions or medicines they took for them.

These were discussed at the preoperative clinic, patients gave positive feedback on the information they received.

The outpatient department was visibly clean and tidy. Staff told us they had the equipment they needed within the department and gave an example about new equipment they received to use in the ear, nose and throat clinic. We saw staff disposed of clinical waste appropriately.

See the surgery report for more information about how the hospital monitored equipment, environmental safety, and accessibility across all departments.

The service ensured there were enough qualified, skilled, and experienced staff to meet the needs of patients visiting the department. The outpatient’s manager was able to flex the staffing rota to meet the needs of the clinics.

Consultants worked at the hospital under the terms of the hospital’s practising privileges policy. The service had processes in place to check consultants met the terms of this policy and had completed relevant training. This was overseen by the medical advisory committee (MAC). Consultants were available on site during clinic hours. The hospital also had a resident medical officer (RMO) available on site 24 hours a day.

Staff told us they had had a meaningful appraisal which identified any areas for development. Staff had opportunities for development, we heard how a healthcare assistant had been supported to complete her nurse education and become a registered nurse. The physiotherapy service manager had been trained in hand therapy to enable continuation of the service.

Training records showed staff completed mandatory training and clinical competencies. Managers monitored compliance and there was a schedule of training in place. All mandatory training was above 98.7% compliance.

The service managed the risks of infection, there was a comprehensive infection control manual and audit programme. There was a lead nurse for infection control and link nurses in the department. We observed staff washing and sanitising their hands, there were handwashing facilities in the clinic rooms. The environment was visibly clean and tidy, and equipment was clean. Clinical waste was disposed of appropriately according to the policy.

We saw evidence of comprehensive cleaning schedules in clinic rooms and staff cleaning clinic rooms in between patients. Monthly infection control audit results were above 96% compliance. Infection control training compliance was above 97%. Link nurses shared best practice for infection control and wound management. The infection control newsletter shared learning and actions undertaken; this was shared with all staff. We saw evidence that audit outcomes were discussed at the team meetings.

Medicines were prescribed for patients on private or NHS prescriptions for dispensing in the hospital or any community pharmacy, where appropriate. The hospital identified a quiet room for the pharmacy team to speak with patients about their dispensed medicines and discuss any queries they may have. Outside of pharmacy hours, there were suitable processes for staff to follow when supplying medicines to patients.

Prescription stationery was securely managed. Medicines were stored safely and securely at appropriate temperatures. Pharmacy staff regularly checked the stock levels and expiry dates for all medicines, including emergency medicines. Waste medicines were disposed of appropriately. The provider had effective systems to manage and respond to safety alerts and medicine recalls. Medicines processes were audited to help ensure that trust policies were followed in practice.