4, 13 April 2011
During a routine inspection
People, who were able, told us that they understood about the care and treatment they were receiving because staff explained this to them. They told us that staff told them about their plan of care for them and kept them updated if this changed. People told us that they had been updated about when they would be able to leave, they said that they had been home for planned visits and that they knew what stage of discharge they were at.
People told us that the meals provided at the hospital included enough variety and that the standard of the food was good. We were told by people on the ward that there was a limited vegetarian option with only one choice each day.
Staff told us how care was coordinated between different departments and different health professionals. They told us that people were transferred from one ward to another once a level of rehabilitation had been reached.
People using the service told us that they felt safe. They told us that they felt able to complain to staff if there was a problem and when they had complained, staff had responded appropriately. We looked at the security arrangements in place to ensure their safety and saw that they appeared well managed
People on the wards and staff told us that the hospital was clean and we saw that the general standard of hygiene appeared to be good. We saw that bathrooms and toilets were clean and accessible to people using the hospital.
People receiving care told us that they thought that staff were suitably trained to meet all of their needs. People described the staff as caring and helpful. We observed care being given in dignified and respectful manner. However, we also saw that in some instances the management of people who have a diminished level of understanding, and who were unsettled, was not supportive and left people in a state of mild distress.
People using the service said that there were mostly enough staff and that they responded to requests for help, sometimes this took longer than others. However, people also told us that they were sometimes assisted to the commode and left for up to 25 minutes because staff were too busy to return to help them. One person said it was 'always the wrong time to call nurses, they were always busy'.
We saw that the records were stored securely and were located so that they were accessible to staff should they need them quickly. However, we observed that some records were not accurate and fit for purpose. The provider has already acknowledged shortfalls in this area and is making changes to the current documentation used.