Archived: Harwich Hospital

We received some very positive comments from people being treated on the ward at the hospital. One person told us: "I've been treated very well since I've been here, I can't praise the staff highly enough."

One staff member we spoke with told us: "We let people set their own goals and include family and friends to help them achieve their best potential."

We saw that people were protected against the risks associated with medicines because appropriate arrangements were in place to manage medicines.

We found records were kept securely and could be located promptly when needed. Records were also kept for the appropriate period of time and then destroyed securely.

We found that there were suitable arrangements in place for gaining consent from people who used the service. We reviewed 10 care plans and saw that the records were reflective of the care and support provided to people. People were protected from receiving unsafe care because steps were in place to plan and deliver care to meet people's individual needs.

We found that medicines were not always handled safely and people who used the service were not protected against the risks associated with the unsafe use and management of medicines. This is because potentially harmful medicines were left unsupervised on open trays accessible to people, relatives and visitors to the ward.

The staff we spoke with told us that they were properly supported and received appropriate training. This meant that people who used the service were supported by competent staff. We found that the service had suitable monitoring systems in place and there was an effective complaints system.

A staff member we spoke with told us, "They do everything properly like we were taught to and I feel there is proper supervision. The patients are treated with dignity and respect, buzzers are answered quickly and the curtains are always pulled." This meant people's privacy and dignity was maintained.