The Winterbourne 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

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

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 evidence showed a good standard. The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Throughout the inspection we observed staff of all roles and grades interacting with patients in a kind and supportive manner, treating them with dignity and respect. Patients we spoke with during the site visit said staff treated them well and with kindness.

The Friends and Family Test showed that between February 2025 and July 2025 97% of patients had good experience of care and treatment in the outpatient department. Comments in the Friends and Family Test results also showed patients felt they were treated with kindness and empathy from all staff. Comments included, “I was welcomed by two very friendly receptionists”, “I was made to feel comfortable and at ease by the wonderful staff”, “[staff] put me at my ease and my nerves receded” and “Mr [consultant] was everything you'd want, in terms of personality, calming, information given, proficiency etc”.

Patients’ privacy and dignity was protected. Staff delivered all consultations and clinical treatments in individual consultation/treatment rooms.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences.

Staff made sure patients living with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and dementia received the necessary support meet their needs. The booking process supported information about patients’ specific individual needs to be available prior to appointments. This meant staff could put individualised reasonable adjustments in place. Staff described examples which included patients being supported by carers or relatives and for patients with neurodiverse conditions who struggled with sensory overload, a quiet waiting area was provided in one of the consultation rooms.

For patients whose first language was not English, staff had access to translation services, including British Sign Language interpreters.

Comments in the Friends and Family Test results demonstrated patients felt they were treated as individuals by staff, with their individual needs being addressed.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Patients were supported to have choice and control over their own care and make decisions about their treatment and wellbeing. Patients said their conditions and options for treatment were discussed with them.

Comments in the Friends and Family Test results showed patients were treated as partners in their care and treatment and were given the information to make choices. Comments included, “He [the consultant] gently talked me through the knee replacement operation and explained in detail the various possibilities which was very helpful in my decision going forward,” “Friendly, approachable and cut through the jargon- answered all my questions”, “[he] took pains to ensure that I knew what was happening at all time”, and “As a patient every concern is addressed, questions answered, explanations all the way.”

The evidence showed a good standard. The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff were aware of people’s needs by taking time to communicate with them to ensure there was an understanding of their care to make sure they were comfortable. Staff were aware of what to do should a patient become poorly or deteriorate. Staff quickly recognised when people needed urgent help or support and used appropriate tools to assist, ensuring safe care was provided to patients. Staff were alert to people’s needs through communication with them and through observation of patients. Staff were kind and supportive when communicating with patients which encouraged people to talk to them.

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

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. All staff we spoke with spoke positively about how the service supported their wellbeing at work. Examples included being supported back to work with sensitivity and empathy after a long period of sick leave and for internationally trained staff support to understand the cultural differences of living and working in England.

Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs. They had access to an employee assist programme that provided counselling as well as other services. They also had access to a musculoskeletal therapy service.

The senior leadership team recognised staff success within the service. This included staff awards and other small treats such as occasional visits from ice cream vans and fish and chip vans.