University Hospital Aintree

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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

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff made every effort to protect the privacy and dignity of patients. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. The service proactively supported staff wellbeing.

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 were discreet and responsive when caring for patients. Staff took time to interact with patients and those close to them in a respectful and considerate way. We observed kind, caring interactions between patients and staff. Staff explained to patients what they were doing when providing care and treatment. Patients said staff treated them well and with kindness.

The trust provided patients with a ‘friends and family test’ (FFT) to rate their experience of the service. In November 2024, around 74% reported a good experience in the emergency department. However, it was noted that this was not the final figure due to IT technical errors at the time of the assessment, and an increase in these results was expected. The average FFT satisfaction score for the emergency department between November 2023 and November 2024 was 73%. The target for assurance was 75%.

Although privacy and dignity were difficult to maintain for patients receiving care and treatment in the temporary escalation area, the patients we spoke with did not voice any concerns and acknowledged the difficult circumstances staff were working in. A local survey completed by the trust asking patients if ‘they felt they were treated with privacy and dignity’ showed that in the last 12 months 93% of those responding said they were happy with the privacy and dignity afforded to them.

Staff and leaders acknowledged the difficulties in ensuring that dignified care was always upheld for patients in temporary escalation areas and acknowledged the time other patients waited for treatment. Staff gave examples of how they understood and respected the individual needs of each patient. Particularly how personal, cultural, social, and religious needs of patients and how these may relate to care needs. Staff told us that working relationships within the emergency department were positive.

People’s individual needs and preferences were understood, and these were reflected in their care, treatment, and support. The trust devised the Liverpool Quality Assessment and Accreditation (LQA) framework, and each clinical area was scored. The LQA framework was developed to take into consideration the CQC fundamental standards of care and was also aligned to the CQC Single Assessment Framework. It included the key clinical indicators that were designed to provide assurance of the quality of clinical care that was being delivered across the trust. It assisted clinical leaders to understand how they delivered care; identify what worked well and where further improvements were needed. Fortnightly training sessions were held to support staff with topic areas such as person-centred care and communication needs or patients.

The accreditation scheme focused on person centred care, ensuring that privacy and dignity were maintained such as the appropriate use of curtains, screens, and appropriate clothing. It also aimed to ensure that patients were aware of the name of the nurse looking after them every shift, that call bell systems were within reach, that individual reasonable adjustments were recorded and shared at handover, that patients were called by their preferred name, and that overall patients and relatives had a positive experience receiving care and treatment.

People were supported to understand their rights, care and treatment by using different ways to communicate. The emergency department had access to interpretation and communication services to facilitate contact with patients. There was a patient communication resource box available which contained aids for communication such as hearing amplifiers, list of accessible digital applications for blind or partially sighted patients, dyslexia overlays, British sign language guide, ABC / QWERTY keyboard sheet, deaf / blind information sheets, interpreter sheet, hearing aid repairs, easy reader glasses and Makaton sign guides.

Staff provided emotional support to patients, families, and carers to minimise their distress. They understood patients' personal, cultural, and religious needs. Staff gave patients and those close to them help, emotional support and advice when they needed it. All contact between staff and patients was conducted professionally, sensitively and in a way which respected confidentiality and the emotional wellbeing of both patients and their relatives and carers.

Patient experience of triage continued to report highly with 96% reporting a good experience in the last 12 months. Patients were given hot and cold food choices and beverages whilst in the emergency department.

Staff we spoke with understood the emotional and social impact that a person’s care, treatment, or condition had on their wellbeing and on those close to them. Staff supported and involved patients, families, and carers to understand their condition and make decisions about their care and treatment. Staff talked to patients in a way they could understand, using communication aids where necessary.

Staff always introduced themselves and established a good rapport with their patients. Staff at all levels of seniority across all professions demonstrated caring and attentive attitudes towards patients.

Patients and their families could give feedback on the service and their treatment and staff supported them to do this. Patient feedback posters and actions taken by the trust to act upon concerns were displayed in the emergency department and waiting areas.

Staff followed the trust ‘Care After Death’ standard operating procedure (SOP) which adhered to both regional / national guidelines and NICE guidelines. The SOP provided guidance which included religious / cultural variation requirements, medical and legal processes, death certification and mortuary requirements, the SWAN model of care, and provided detailed information for families.

Regular teaching sessions for nursing and medical staff incorporated recent events within the emergency department to facilitate learning and incident debriefing.

There was a strong emphasis on the safety and wellbeing of staff. Staff felt supported, respected, and valued. There were various initiatives to support staff wellbeing. There were cooperative and appreciative relationships amongst staff. Staff were able to self-roster and flexible working contracts were available to those requesting them. Leaders had recently taken steps to alter working hours by reducing the working day for nurses following feedback from staff about how tiring their long shifts were.

There was a wellbeing hub for staff and access to a variety of wellbeing services such as physical wellbeing support with a physiotherapy service, occupational therapy, weight management, stopping smoking, keeping fit. There were mental health wellbeing service providing stress management, staff psychology service, counselling, wellbeing hubs, access to NHS digital applications and national support services. Financial wellbeing services were available to staff with instant pay options, cost of living advice, money saving tips, support accessing food banks, NHS discounts, salary sacrifice, and opportunities to access financial support. Flexible working, access to Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, a pension scheme and advice service, retirement scheme and advice, pastoral and multi-faith support, coaching, mentoring, and mediation were also available.