The Royal Bournemouth Hospital

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

We looked for evidence that people and communities were always at the centre of how care was planned and delivered. We checked that the health and care needs of people and communities were understood, and they were actively involved in planning care that met these needs. We also looked for evidence that people could access care in ways that met their personal circumstances and protected equality characteristics.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good.

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.

The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

The service demonstrated person-centred care through collaborative efforts with patients and their families, especially those with complex needs. This was illustrated by the creation and use of a social story for a 21-year-old autistic patient undergoing surgery, which detailed each step of the hospital visit to reduce anxiety and help to ensure a smooth experience. The Carers Support Service and Day Surgery team worked together to tailor the patient's journey, showing a unified approach. This was further supported by the hospital's general practices, including the provision of specialised teams for patients with learning disabilities, dementia, mental health, or delirium.

Flexible visiting hours and personalised accommodations, such as a private side room for a patient with mental health needs, emphasised the hospital's dedication to individual comfort and dignity. Pre-surgical planning using a ‘fit to proceed’ form ensured all necessary adjustments were made, reinforcing a patient-first approach.

The ‘Patient First’ model is a Trust wide improvement methodology, of which one aspect is patient experience. It devolves leadership and change to the front line. It supports staff to make sure each person’s care is tailored to them, involving them in decisions, trying to make their experience as good as possible.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Care provision, integration, and continuity means that individuals with diverse needs should experience seamless transitions between healthcare settings. Multiple staff members from various surgical specialities explained how patients would have their care needs communicated to their GP on discharge and any community-based services, such as district nurses or physiotherapists would receive up-to-date information about how to care for them.

Staff told us they were flexible and accommodating to people with different needs by offering various appointment times to meet individual circumstances, or by tailoring care plans to respect personal preferences and cultural needs. Choice was supported by providing patients with information about different treatment options and enabling patients to actively participate in decisions about their care pathway, ensuring their values and preferences were central to the planning and delivery of their care.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The Trust has policies aimed at ensuring equitable access to healthcare by addressing diverse communication needs where information could be provided to all patients irrespective of their protected characteristics.

The Trust had several ways to help people who have different communication needs. Staff were told through updates and on the hospital’s internal website how to book in-person interpreters, and basic sign language using a request form. They could also use video interpreters through a service called Language Line, and telephone interpreters by using a specific code.

For translated documents, staff were directed to an online library of patient information leaflets, with a website translation function available. If a leaflet was not available in the required language, a patient information team could be contacted. Similarly, requests for translated letters or clinical documents were handled by the patient experience team, while large font versions of hospital leaflets and letters could be requested via email or the IT self-service portal.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

The service fostered a culture where feedback was valued for learning and development, and its complaints policy prioritised a collaborative approach to achieve resolutions with those raising concerns. This strategy illustrated a commitment to listening to and involving people in the ongoing development of the service. Feedback, gathered via formal complaints, the Friends and Family Test (FFT), and informal routes, directly informed service improvements.

Notable examples included reducing ward noise by keeping doors closed in kitchens and sluice rooms and addressing cold food concerns through direct engagement with the catering team. The 'You said, we did' boards displayed on surgical wards provided tangible evidence of how patient feedback translated into concrete actions.

The service did not always make sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Staff said there were frequent cancellations of surgery due to lack of intensive care capacity and availability of ward beds. Data provided by the service showed that in November 2024, a total of 215 patients had surgery cancelled on the day of surgery. In December 2024, 255 patients had their surgery cancelled on the day of surgery and in January 2025, the figure was 234. Reasons for cancellation of surgery were availability of equipment, no ward or ITU bed, surgery postponed, list overran, or surgeons were unavailable or on leave. This data was for the surgical services across both Poole Hospital and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

The service was working to reduce the number of patients waiting for treatment, and although on an improving trajectory, people were still waiting significant amounts of time for treatment. Data provided by the service which related to surgical services at both Poole Hospital and The Royal Bournemouth Hospital, showed that at the time of the inspection there were no patients waiting over 65 weeks to be seen and treated. This was an improvement from 206 patients waiting over 65 weeks in July 2024. At the time of the inspection there were 1295 patients waiting over 52 weeks to be seen and treatment, this was an improvement from 1444 patients waiting over 52 weeks in July 2024. For patients waiting to be seen and treated around 57% of them waited over 18 weeks. This was a constant figure for the period July 2024 to January 2025. The NHS constitution dictates that a patient has a right to begin their treatment for routine conditions following a referral into a consultant-led service, within a maximum waiting time of 18 weeks to treatment. Patient waiting times for planned surgery and monitored and reviewed at governance meetings. There was no evidence the service carried out harm reviews to identify and act on harm patients were exposed to because of delayed surgery.

However, the service showed equity in access through a patient access policy, which aimed to manage elective care for all patients requiring outpatient appointments, diagnostics, and planned treatments consistently and fairly, adhering to national waiting time standards and the principles of the NHS constitution.

This policy stated the Trust's dedication to providing services that met the diverse needs of individuals and affirmed its commitment to non-discrimination against employees, patients, or visitors based on any protected characteristics.

To ensure equitable administrative management of patients throughout their elective pathways, the policy was supported by a Standard Operating Procedure and guidance documents accessible to all relevant clinical and non-clinical staff.

The Trust participated in a national study, the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD), focusing specifically on the care of acutely unwell patients with learning disabilities. This participation demonstrated a pro-active approach to understanding and addressing the unique needs and potential vulnerabilities of this patient group, aiming to ensure they receive equitable access to high-quality and appropriate care during emergency admissions.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

The service addressed equity in experience and outcomes by identifying that children in Ear Nose Throat paediatrics from deprived areas or minority communities had higher DNA (Did Not Attend) rates for outpatient appointments. In response, a 100-day project was launched focusing on health inequalities. This involved data analysis with stakeholders from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and within the Trust, examining primary care networks with the highest DNA rates. To understand the reasons behind this disparity, the service held meetings with these networks and engaged directly with patients and their carers through questionnaires and clinic visits. Based on these consultations and clinical team input, 3 specific projects were identified for trial within the 100-day scope, aiming to improve attendance rates for these identified groups.

The service planned to present their findings on Oral, Maxillofacial, and Paediatric inequalities to the UHD Population, Health, and System Committee in March 2025, demonstrating a commitment to transparency and addressing these disparities at a systemic level.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

The service planned for future end-of-life care by reviewing and refining the Dorset-wide DNACPR (Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) policy for 2021 to 2024, aiming for consistent application across the region. This meant the policy was intended to be standardised and used across all relevant healthcare providers throughout Dorset. To ensure these decisions were made and documented appropriately, clinicians received training on discussing DNACPR with patients and their families, recording these discussions electronically, and including a hard copy in the patient's notes.

The electronic DNACPR form within the electronic patient record (EPR) system was being updated to allow secure electronic sharing with the patient's GP and the wider Dorset Care Record, facilitating better communication and access to this information. Additionally, the Trust used specific functionality within the EPR system, labelled ‘Planning Ahead for End-of-Life Care’ and an ‘Anticipatory Care Form,’ demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to documenting and addressing patients' future healthcare needs.