Wexham Park Hospital

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We assessed a total of 3 quality statements from this key question. We have combined the scores for these areas with scores based on the rating from the last inspection, which was outstanding.

Our rating for this key question has changed. We rated it as good.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion. However, people’s privacy and dignity was sometimes compromised when demand out grew capacity of the department. People’s needs were listened to and staff responded to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. The service greatly cared about and promoted the wellbeing of staff. Staff were supported to enable them to always deliver safe and quality care for patients.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

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

Staff treated patients and their families with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support.

During our inspection we saw pleasant interactions between staff and patients. We saw staff treat patients with warmth and care, they were respectful and non-discriminatory. Interactions were courteous, professional and demonstrated compassion to patients. Feedback from patients was mostly positive, we were told staff were excellent, friendly, polite and professional.

People felt that staff listen to them and communicated with them appropriately, in a way they could understand. We saw nursing and medical staff introduced themselves to patients and explained what was going to happen. Staff took the time to explain what was going to happen next to provide reassurance. Patients told us they felt staff explained everything well, they were listened to and had their questions answered.

There were positive comments regarding how they were communicated with, including when English was not their first language. The workforce was diverse and reflective of the local population. This meant many languages were spoken by staff and a staff member could be found to communicate with a patient in their native language if required. We observed staff speaking with children in a way they could understand. They took time to explain what was going to happen and ensured it was understood before delivering the treatment.

People mostly believed that staff responded to their needs quickly and efficiently, especially if they were in pain, discomfort, or distress. Even though it was a busy ED, we saw staff take the time to attend to patients and relatives in a respectful and considerate manner. We saw staff listening to the concerns and needs of patients and relatives and respond to these. Call bells were answered quickly. During the inspection we saw a patient call out, she was responded to immediately by a nurse and a member of the housekeeping team who could speak to the patient in a language she could understand. Patients told us, they were assessed quickly on arrival to the ED including their pain needs. However, some patients who were being cared for in the corridors felt unable to disturb staff to ask questions or to ask for comfort breaks, and voiced concerns for fellow patients who were too poorly to advocate for themselves.

Staff tried to always respect people's privacy and dignity. We observed security staff, working at the main entrance to the department, asking other patients and relatives, in a pleasant way, to step back from the reception window when other patients were being booked in. This was to ensure the privacy of patients when registering. Staff ensured they fully drew curtains closed when delivering care. Although corridor care was in place, staff worked to protect patients' dignity by taking patients out of the queue and using an assessment room for initial care, intimate examinations and comfort breaks. We were told there was also privacy screens available. However, patient dignity was not always preserved for these patients, as some procedures would be carried out in the corridor, such as checking vital signs and discussions with staff. It also exposed patients to public view and compromised their privacy. Most of the patients and their families, being cared for in the corridor, were understanding and praised how they were being looked after by the staff.

Staff understood about patient confidentiality. They used electronic patient records to log patient information. We saw staff locking computers when not in use or they were called away. This reduced the risk of unauthorised people having access to patient information, especially when being cared for in the corridor.

Patients commented on how the staff remained calm, composed, and cheerful with patients and other members of staff, even when under the pressure of a busy and overcrowded department. We observed friendly but professional interactions between ED staff, ambulance crews and their patients, when care was being handed over.

The service used several methods for patients and relatives to provide feedback on their ED experience. The friends and family survey (FFT), used across the healthcare system, showed between December 2024 and February 2025 85% of patients who completed the survey had a very good experience when attending ED compared to 11% having a poor experience. However, only 1% of people who used the service between these times completed the survey. This suggests a very low level of participation and the results might not be representative of all patient's views.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Independence, choice and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

People arriving at the emergency department (ED) were initially screened by a senior nurse at the entrance to the department. Depending on their clinical need, they would be directed to different areas of the department or hospital. In some cases, if their condition was not a life-threatening emergency, they would be directed to other healthcare providers, for example an urgent care centre.

Triage was used to prioritise patients based on the severity of their condition. Data provided by the service showed patients were seen most of the time within 15 minutes of arrival at the department, which is the NHS triage standard. Patients we spoke with told us they had been triaged quickly. Staff explained patients deemed to need immediate care, including both physical and mental health, would be fast-tracked to expedite their care and treatment. Data provided by the service showed triage in the service was effective and had led to better outcomes for patients.

The service had staff allocation plans that considered factors like patient volume and acuity. For example, extra nurses and doctors were used when there was corridor care to ensure patient safety. However, some patients, especially if being cared for in the corridor or exposed to long wait times in the waiting room, had a perception there was a of lack of staff leading to their immediate needs not being met.

Staff would be prompted by the electronic patient record system to complete care rounds every 6hrs, this would include checking the patient's nutrition and hydration status and if the patient required a comfort break.

Patients told us their pain had been assessed on arrival to the department and pain relief given when required. The service had evidence through audit that this occurred. One patient who was in the corridor care queue told us he had not been offered pain relief when in pain. However, it was unclear if this was due to a clinical reason or if it had been missed by staff.

Catering staff would bring round a food trolley 3 times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, where hot and cold food would be offered to patients. Food would be provided outside of these times if needed. The ED had a specially trained regular team of volunteers. We saw these friendly individuals talking and looking after the non-clinical needs of the patients, this included offering hot and cold drinks to patients and their relatives. At certain times when the department was very busy, food and drink would be offered to patients who were experiencing long waits in the waiting areas.

A local charitable organisation supplied comfort packs for patients. These were bags containing items to make patient stays more comfortable. Bags contained items such as cleaning wipes, tissues, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste.

Staff we spoke with told us they always tried to address complaints or concerns as soon as possible. The team attempted to resolve any issues before concerns escalated to become formal complaints. We saw posters up in different areas of the department explaining what to do if a patient wanted to complain.

Leaders working in the emergency department (ED) cared for the well-being of their staff greatly and worked hard to create a happy and friendly working environment for all. They understood the connection between staff wellbeing and the positive impact it could have on the care received by patients.

The service made sure the department was uncluttered and clean. There was the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Even though the department was busy there were adequate staffing to cover breaks. We observed the matron making sure the team had had their breaks.

Staff told us the leaders had created a culture where concerns could be raised freely, were taken seriously and responded to. They were fully involved in ways to improve the service or staff experiences. Leaders empowered frontline staff to drive initiatives to improve quality and safety. For example, we were told of nurses who have special interests, such as in diabetes or end of life, becoming nurse champions to promote innovation and drive improvements in that area.

Leaders created a positive atmosphere in the department that focused on open communication, emotional support and recognised the efforts of the team. They did this with regular check-ins, encouraged open dialogue, and acknowledged the emotional toll of working in a busy and overcrowded emergency department. Leaders took the time to get to know their staff. Staff had easy access to personalised support from them, both proactive and reactive, that also recognised the diversity of the workforce.

The service had welcomed a large cohort of international nurses over the last 12 months. Leaders had taken time to support their integration and wellbeing. They ensured challenges were addressed with sensitivity and understanding, and made sure there was a welcoming and inclusive environment for them to work. Mentoring and support networks were used to ease the transition of relocating nurses into the UK healthcare system and to ensure they did not suffer feelings of isolation and loneliness. There was positive feedback from new and existing staff explaining how they helped and supported each other, and in turn, as a team provided the best care they could for their patients.

Staff were extremely complementary of ED leaders, especially the matrons. They gave us numerous examples where they had been supported to navigate a balance between work and home, and where leaders had provided individual personalised support, so they could bring the best version of themselves to work and hence give the best possible patient care. Staff felt valued by their leaders and colleagues. They talked of a sense of belonging and their colleagues being family.

The service and wider hospital offered well-being resources to the team, and these were advertised on the well-being notice board. These included employee assistance programmes, counselling services, and other resources that could help staff cope with stress, financial and emotional challenges.

The service actively recognised and showed appreciation for staff efforts. There was a well-being trolley and staff were encouraged to give positive affirmations to colleagues. There were programmes that recognised and rewarded outstanding performance and going above and beyond.