Poole 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

We looked for evidence that people were always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We checked that people’s privacy and dignity was respected, that they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also looked for evidence that every effort was made to take people’s wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained as good. This meant people felt well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

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.

On wards we observed all staff were very friendly and helpful. For example, they supported patients to mobilise in a gentle and reassuring manner. We observed staff reassuring patients who were distressed and agitated in a calm and respectful manner.

In theatres we observed staff provided empathetic and dignified care for patients having surgery under a local anaesthetic. They ensured patients’ dignity and warmth was maintained with the use of blankets.

Friends and family test feedback was positive with over 90% of patients who had a good experience of care and treatment at Poole Hospital. Comments included “From the surgeons and nurses to the ‘tea lady’ everyone was so nice and pleasant,” “So caring and attentive,” and “Absolutely lovely caring staff, when you need help, they are always there.”

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Staff took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Managers and staff were aware of patients’ individual needs, and this was shown through their risk assessments and the pre-admission assessment process. Patients spoke positively about how staff supported them to meet their individual needs. This included meeting patients emotional and psychological needs.

All wards offered a translation service, learning disability passports, and ‘This is me’ booklets for people living with dementia. This gave staff the tools to respond to a person’s needs in a person-centred and timely way.

Patients could access the chaplaincy service who could provide support for patients of all and of non-religious beliefs. Prayer spaces were available for patients of all religious beliefs, all of which had Muslim prayer mats and facilities for ritual ablutions.

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. They said they felt informed about their procedures and care, and staff supported them to make informed decisions about their care and treatment.

However, some patients expressed dissatisfaction with the provision of meals and drinks. Some said that although they had a choice of meals, they did not always receive what they ordered. Others commented the food was not warm and the presentation made it look unappealing. Some patients said they did not have sufficient access to warm drinks at the weekend, with one saying they only got offered one warm drink a day at the weekend.

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.

Feedback from patients said they were listened to, spoken to in ways they could understand, with staff taking time to talk with them and address any needs promptly. Patients commented their pain was well controlled, and staff provided pain relief if and when they needed it.

Staff made sure patients living with mental health problems, learning disabilities and dementia, received the necessary care to meet all their needs. Staff could access support and guidance from specialist nursing teams, such as learning disability nurses, dementia nurses and the psychiatric liaison team that was provided by another NHS trust.

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

The trust had a number of resources that surgical staff could access to support their wellbeing. This included access to musculoskeletal therapy service, access to psychological support and counselling, debt advice, and Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioners. TRIM practitioners are trained staff who provide peer support and help colleagues cope with potentially traumatic events and facilitate early interventions and referrals when needed. Staff were informed of wellbeing resources through newsletters and there were dedicated health and wellbeing champions.

All staff we spoke with spoke positively about how their immediate leaders supported their wellbeing at work. Examples included staff being supported back to work with sensitivity and empathy after a long period of sick leave and for internationally trained staff support to find accommodation and understand the cultural differences of working in England. Other staff spoke about how work had been done to improve the culture in their area of work, which resulted in improved wellbeing at work.

However, some felt senior leaders did not fully understand or acknowledge the impact the transformation project had on them. Some staff felt this was affecting their wellbeing, they were not sure where they would be working and had concerns about how they would manage their personal responsibilities such as childcare and caring for elderly relatives if they had to work at a different hospital.