Havant Renal Unit

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

This means we looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs. At our last assessment we rated this key question as good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through organisation and delivery.

We have not awarded this service a score for Responsive.

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

Staff delivered person-centred care that reflected patients' individual needs, preferences and circumstances. They completed an admission assessment for every patient, which included information about communication needs, preferred language, hearing or visual impairments, the need for interpreters, and any communication aids required. Staff also discussed treatment times, concerns about treatment, and any adjustments needed to support access to care. This ensured care was planned around each person's individual circumstances.

Patients demonstrated a good understanding of their condition and treatment options. Staff supported this through ongoing education about renal disease, dialysis treatments and self-management. Patients also had access to support from the local NHS trust and kidney care charities. This helped them make informed choices about the treatment options best suited to their clinical, social and personal needs.

Care plans followed a structured process and reflected patients' current and future needs. Staff reviewed plans regularly and updated them when circumstances changed. Care planning considered health needs, risk factors, lifestyle preferences and any support required to promote wellbeing and independence.

Staff made reasonable adjustments to accommodate individual needs and preferences. For example, 1 female Muslim patient preferred to receive care from female nurses. Staff respected this preference, allocated female nursing staff where possible and arranged for the patient to receive treatment in a side room. This demonstrated a personalised approach that respected the patient's cultural and personal preferences.

Although the service rarely cared for people living with dementia, autism or learning disabilities, staff described how they adapted care when required. For example, they could seat patients closer to the nursing station for additional observation, provide treatment in a side room, and allow relatives or carers to remain with patients to offer reassurance and support. These adjustments helped ensure patients felt safe, comfortable and supported during treatment.

The service also considered patients' physical needs when planning care. Staff assessed mobility requirements and ensured equipment, such as hoists, bariatric equipment and adjustable dialysis chairs, was available when needed. This helped ensure patients could access treatment safely and comfortably.

Managers supported staff to deliver person-centred care by ensuring they had the time and resources needed to understand patients' individual needs. Oversight from senior staff helped ensure the named nurse approach and person-centred care planning were applied consistently in practice.

The service provided haemodialysis treatment for a large patient population, with between 125 and 168 patients receiving care across 2-unit areas on 2 floors. Patients usually attended the centre 3 times a week, which enabled staff to develop a detailed understanding of their individual needs, treatment requirements and preferences. Patients told us staff knew them well and responded promptly when their needs changed.

The service operated extended opening hours to ensure patients could access treatment when required. The unit opened from 6:30am to 11:00pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 6:30am to 6:30pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This allowed the service to provide treatment through planned dialysis sessions and offered flexibility to meet patients' needs. Staff could also arrange additional dialysis sessions when patients had not achieved treatment targets or required extra support, helping to maintain continuity of care and clinical oversight. Staff also explained this helped build positive relationships and enabled them to identify changes in patients' health or wellbeing more easily.

The service supported patients with varying clinical needs. Two side rooms were located behind the nursing station and could be used when patients required additional privacy, closer observation or specific adjustments to their care. This enabled staff to respond flexibly to individual circumstances while maintaining continuity of treatment.

Staff worked collaboratively with NHS renal consultants, dietitians and other healthcare professionals involved in patients' care. Effective communication and regular multidisciplinary reviews ensured treatment plans remained coordinated and responsive to patients' needs. Clear escalation processes supported timely access to specialist advice and helped ensure patients received joined-up care across different services.

The service further promoted integrated care by hosting outpatient appointments with NHS renal consultants within the dialysis unit. This reduced the need for patients to travel to alternative hospital sites and improved access to specialist review and advice. As a result, patients were able to receive dialysis treatment and elements of their wider renal care in one location, creating a more seamless and coordinated experience.

The service provided patients with a wide range of information to help them understand their condition, treatment and the support available to them. Information was displayed throughout the unit and covered topics such as caring for dialysis access sites, avoiding missed or shortened dialysis sessions, healthy eating, managing phosphate and fluid intake, travelling while receiving dialysis, patient transport arrangements and support available from charities and other organisations. Information about safeguarding, infection prevention and control, health and safety and how to access a chaperone was also available. Patients could share their views about the service through a suggestion box.

Staff supported patients to understand their treatment and make informed decisions about their care. Written information was available on kidney disease, dialysis treatment and local support services. Patients were also provided with information about arranging dialysis while on holiday, helping them maintain their independence and continue activities that were important to them.

The provider's website offered additional information about kidney disease and dialysis, helping patients and their families understand what to expect from treatment and how it may affect daily life. Patients were also involved in regular reviews with NHS consultants, giving them opportunities to discuss their progress, ask questions and take part in decisions about their care. Information could be provided in different languages when required, and interpreting services, including British Sign Language interpreters, were available to support effective communication with patients, relatives and carers.

Patients we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of their condition and treatment, reflecting the information, education and support they received from staff. This meant patients were able to make informed decisions about their care and take an active role in managing their health and treatment.

The service followed the Accessible Information Standard and ensured staff understood how to identify and meet people's communication needs. All staff had completed training in this area, helping them provide information in ways that patients could understand and reducing barriers to accessing care and treatment.

Staff also provided practical information to help patients manage their condition. This included guidance on fluid restrictions, healthy eating and medicines used to manage phosphate levels. Patients received advice about reducing salt intake, recognising foods that affect fluid balance and taking prescribed medicines correctly. Information was also available on managing common side effects of dialysis, such as itching and dry skin, and on maintaining emotional wellbeing. This helped patients better understand their condition, manage their health and take an active role in their treatment.

The service had systems to ensure patients, relatives and carers could share their views, raise concerns and contribute to service improvements. Information about how to make a complaint was clearly displayed in patient areas, and patients could raise concerns in a variety of ways, including in person, by telephone, email, through the provider's website or using forms available within the unit.

Staff followed a complaints policy that set out clear timescales for responding to concerns. The service acknowledged complaints within 3 working days, provided an initial response within 5 working days and aimed to complete investigations within 20 working days. Where investigations took longer, staff kept complainants informed of the reasons for the delay. This helped ensure concerns were managed consistently, transparently and in a timely way.

The service had received 10 complaints in the previous 12 months. Records showed staff acknowledged, investigated and responded to complaints in line with the provider's policy. Staff used complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve the service. For example, following concerns about transport access arrangements and faulty televisions within the unit, staff investigated the issues, apologised to the patient and took action to address the concerns. They arranged repairs to the televisions, escalated concerns about the unit barrier access system to the landlord and reminded transport providers to share accurate access information with drivers. Staff also offered the patient the opportunity to meet with the unit management team to discuss their concerns further.

The service actively sought feedback from patients and used this information to drive improvement. Patient feedback highlighted concerns about transport delays and anxiety associated with needling procedures. In response, the service developed and implemented an action plan. Staff worked closely with the local NHS Trust and ambulance service to improve communication, strengthen transport coordination and introduce systems to monitor transport performance. The service also established a dedicated process for managing transport concerns and improving communication with patients.

Staff responded to feedback about needling experiences by strengthening links with the vascular access team and improving support for patients during treatment. They provided reassurance and explanations, encouraged patients to be involved in decisions about their care, offered anaesthetic options where required and ensured experienced staff supported patients with more complex vascular access needs. The service also completed staff training and competency assessments to improve patients' experiences.

Patients we spoke with told us they were happy with their care and knew how to raise concerns if they needed to. They described staff as approachable and responsive and felt listened to when they shared feedback. Positive feedback highlighted compassionate care, effective communication, shared decision-making, reliable dialysis scheduling and the support provided by continuity of care, multidisciplinary meetings and consultant-led units.

The service worked with the local NHS renal service to provide dialysis treatment for patients across the surrounding area and support timely access to care. Staff described a collaborative approach to managing referrals and ensuring patients could access treatment when required.

The environment promoted equitable access for people with different mobility and physical needs. The building had 2 lifts, including a lift for patient and staff use, which enabled people to access both floors of the unit safely. Wide doorways supported wheelchair access throughout the service, and there was a range of dialysis chairs available, including both standard and bariatric chairs. Staff also considered patients' clinical needs when allocating treatment areas. More independent and clinically stable patients generally attended the upstairs unit, while patients requiring additional support or with more complex needs were usually treated downstairs, where staff and emergency services could access them more easily if required.

The service provided dedicated parking facilities for patients and maintained an ambulance drop-off bay directly outside the unit. These arrangements helped reduce barriers to attending treatment, particularly for patients with mobility needs or those who relied on patient transport services.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of how to support people with additional needs. Although the service did not currently care for any patients living with dementia, staff had completed dementia awareness training and were able to describe how they would adapt care to meet individual needs. Staff had also completed training on supporting people with learning disabilities and autism. Additional advice and support were available through the local NHS Learning Disability Team when required. This helped ensure staff could make reasonable adjustments and provide care that was responsive to people's needs.

The service also supported access to dialysis for people visiting the area. Staff told us they regularly cared for patients who were on holiday locally and required ongoing dialysis treatment during their stay. These arrangements were coordinated with the NHS renal service to ensure patients could continue receiving treatment safely while away from their usual dialysis centre.

The service took steps to ensure patients received equitable care, treatment and support regardless of their individual circumstances or protected characteristics. Staff completed mandatory training in equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights, which helped them understand how to meet diverse needs and reduce barriers to care.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the reasonable adjustments some patients might require. They described how they adapted treatment arrangements to meet individual needs, including offering flexible dialysis times for people in employment, extending appointment times where additional support was needed, arranging pre-treatment visits to reduce anxiety, and facilitating the involvement of carers or support workers in appointments when appropriate. Staff also considered cultural, religious and gender preferences when planning care. These adjustments helped ensure patients could access treatment and experience care in a way that reflected their circumstances and preferences.

The service provided patients with clear information about their dialysis arrangements to support consistent access to care. Patients received written information confirming their treatment schedule, treatment location and continuity of care. Staff also provided information about transport arrangements, appointment processes and how patients could access additional support if needed. Patients were informed of their right to request a chaperone during treatment. This helped ensure people understood their care arrangements and could access support in a way that met their needs.

The service sought to promote equitable experiences by identifying and responding to individual communication and support needs. Staff considered how best to involve patients in their care and ensured reasonable adjustments were in place where required. This helped patients participate in decisions about their treatment and receive care that was personalised to their circumstances.

Evidence from training records and discussions with staff demonstrated a commitment to providing inclusive and person-centred care. Staff understood the importance of adapting their approach to meet individual needs and described a range of measures used to support positive outcomes and experiences for all patients.

The service supported patients to plan for their future care and treatment by providing clear information about kidney disease, dialysis and how their condition may change over time. Patients told us the information they received was easy to understand and helped them make informed decisions about their ongoing care.

Patients were given information about the benefits, risks and long-term impact of dialysis treatment. Staff discussed treatment options with patients and supported them to understand the implications of continuing or stopping treatment, enabling them to make informed choices about their care and future plans.

The service also supported advance care planning. Staff followed the NHS trust's Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) policy and involved patients in discussions about their future wishes whenever possible. Decisions were clearly documented and reviewed, helping to ensure patients' preferences were understood and respected if they became unable to make decisions for themselves in the future.