Frimley Park 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

At our last inspection we rated this key question Outstanding. At this inspection the rating has remained Outstanding.

We looked for evidence that the service met people's needs. We assessed three quality statements including person centred care, provision of information and on equity in access. People did not experience discrimination and staff worked hard to provide equity in access to care and treatment. They made reasonable adjustments where required and listened to people's concerns to improve the service. 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. People received information that met their needs.

This service scored 89 (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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices wherever possible. We saw that medical staff took care to include patients and took action to contact patients' next of kin to keep them informed of plans for treatment and care. However, two patients we spoke to said they were not aware of what was happening to them. They said that they just said yes when they didn't understand. Two others did not understand why they had moved areas so many times.

Care plans reflected physical, mental, emotional, and social needs of patients including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act. However, some patients referred to the lack of stimuli in the hospital. We noticed that there were no televisions or clocks, and some areas made orientation to day or night more difficult due to lack of windows. Other patients used their personal electronic equipment to maintain their socialisation. People with specific care needs were supported as individuals and those needs met. Staff undertook risk assessments to identify specific needs such as nutrition, hydration, mobility, falls risk and frailty score. Staff made reasonable adjustments to help patients access services. The department had access to translation services including British Sign Language to support patients. There was a multi faith room available for people and the chaplaincy had good access to all faith leaders.

We saw positive interactions between staff and patients. Staff made sure patients living with mental health problems, learning disabilities and dementia, received the necessary care to meet all their needs. The hospital had a dementia care team who identified patients, using the electronic patient record system, who may be living with dementia and be inpatients. These patients were then assessed by the team and support offered to the ward staff. This support could include interactions with the activities co-ordinator or supplying equipment to ensure that a patient's individual needs were met. We saw that the needs of a younger person with a mental health need were met sensitively.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. The trust had an online platform/online application called MyFrimleyHealth Record which provided patients with personalised and secure online access to their medical records. Examples of what people could do via the application included view details of current appointments and book follow ups, and allow - with permission - for parents, family members or carers to act on their behalf, view medications, test results, allergies and letters and safely send messages to care teams.

Information was provided and available in a range of community languages. We saw one poster promoting a patient survey which was displayed in Nepalese. Staff explained there was a large Nepalese community in the area and the poster was displayed to reach this community. Whilst posters displayed were predominantly in English, Information was available in a range of different languages on the trust's website. We tested the validity of information for one of these languages and found the information to provide accurate information in a user-friendly tone.

The service had access to interpreter services, including British Sign Language. Information provided by the service met with Accessible Information Standard. Staff knew that they could ask for interpreters through a designated language line and explained they would use this for clinical information and processes. Sometimes they used a less formal approach and used staff from around the hospital to provide interpretation for patients. A poster in the reception area informed patients of the languages spoken by staff.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

People did not experience discrimination or inequality. People with additional needs had reasonable adjustments made for them such as for people with disabilities, those with communication difficulties or cognitive impairment. People were listened to when they wanted to share their experience. There was recognition that there was a large Nepalese community around the Frimley Park Hospital Site. Considering this the service had implemented a face-to-face stroke prevention programme for the Nepalese community. There were also posters displayed around the hospital of the languages that staff spoke within the hospital.

Staff worked hard to remove any barriers to access for patients. There was a strong culture to prevent discrimination and inequalities supported by training and guidance. Staff listened to people who had concerns or complaints and sought ways to improve the service. Information was displayed around the hospital and on the hospital's webpage about how to raise concerns if families had concerns about treatment and care being delivered.

The trust had implemented Call 4 Concern during the pandemic. This was well embedded in the staff culture and advertised across the hospital. The service received calls from staff, and relatives and sought to ensure the safety of the patient and resolve any communication issues. Relatives were often able to more quickly identify if there was something wrong with a person they loved than staff, so this was a mechanism by which they could enhance care. Patients and relatives were encouraged to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service and provided direct telephone numbers for all wards. The service had around five formal complaints a month. The main themes for complaints were communications, clinical care and admission and discharge.

People could access the service when they needed. Most wards were open 24 hours a day all year round. Care was provided for adults with physical health and if necessary mental ill health needs. The service worked with other healthcare professionals to provide a timely service for different healthcare needs including mental health services. Wards were designated to specialisms but at times took other patients to ensure the flow through the hospital. Specialist teams in reached to ward areas to ensure those patients who required specialist care received it.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. Staff were able to identify changes made to improve access including the use of a Hospital@home, virtual wards and SDEC.

We did not look at Equity in experiences and outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.