Queen Elizabeth 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 looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. We checked that people’s privacy and dignity was respected. We 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. We also looked for evidence that staff wellbeing was valued, and that staff were supported and enabled to deliver consistently person‑centred care.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained as good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

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.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion; However, confidentiality was not always maintained.

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. We observed caring interactions across the wards. Staff approached patients calmly, introduced themselves, explained what they were doing and checked people’s understanding before continuing care. Patients told us staff were kind, respectful and responsive to their needs. One patient described staff as “so helpful and wonderful.” We also saw “thank you” cards displayed on the wards praising staff for the care they provided.

Staff communicated with patients clearly. They took time to answer questions and help people understand their treatment. Patients told us staff answered their questions and kept them well informed about their care. However, 1 patient told us they did not always receive the information they needed.

The service monitored patient experience through the Friends and Family Test (FFT), which showed consistently high levels of satisfaction across the inpatient wards. The FFT had an average rate of 325 responses each month across all medical inpatient wards. Positive scores were 96% in November 2025 and 93% in both December 2025 and January 2026. Although the December and January results fell slightly below the trust’s 95% target, the feedback still indicated that most patients reported a good overall experience.

Staff showed a good understanding of patients’ individual needs. We observed staff who knew patients preferences and backgrounds and used this knowledge to provide personalised and compassionate care. Patients told us they were supported to keep in touch with family and friends. Staff also described systems that helped people remain connected with those important to them, such as the use of carers’ passports. Although we observed many family members and friends visiting patients, we did not see evidence of carers’ passports being used in the patient notes we reviewed. Chaplaincy services were available, and we saw the chaplain visiting patients. Patients were given information about the chaplaincy service in the ‘Your Stay in Hospital’ leaflet, which provided patients with key information about their admission to the hospital.

Staff could raise concerns without fear of the consequences. Staff told us they understood the escalation routes and knew how to contact the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian. Information about the Guardian was clearly visible throughout the department.

Staff promoted privacy and dignity. We saw staff closed curtains and doors during consultations to maintain patient privacy. However patient confidentiality was not always maintained. In some areas, board rounds took place in corridors, where staff discussed sensitive patient information without sufficient privacy. This was escalated to senior leaders, who reported they would remind staff the importance of confidentiality.

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.

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.

Staff identified and responded to changing patient needs. On wards with patients at higher risk of falls, patients wore anti-slip socks and staff displayed clear information for staff and patients on how to minimise falls.

We saw board rounds were comprehensive and discussed changes in patients’ needs. We observed intentional rounding and staff supporting patients through mealtimes. Patients told us they had access to specialist teams like speech and language therapy (SaLT) and physiotherapy to support when needed.

Doctors involved patients in discussions during daily ward rounds, ensuring that both medical and social needs were reviewed with them. Risks and benefits of treatments were clearly explained. We observed this during a discussion with a patient who wished to be discharged, clinicians encouraged the patient to ask questions and take an active role in decisions about their care.

We observed staff respond promptly when people used their call bells or requested assistance. People said they felt listened to and supported, and staff took steps to ensure patients were comfortable.

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

Staff were supported and felt positive and proud of their work. Staff at all levels told us they felt well supported in their roles. One staff member told us they enjoy their work because of the great teamwork. We saw leaders encourage staff to document and report incidents of abuse from patients, which showed a proactive approach to supporting staff and promoting a respectful working environment.

Staff had access to support for their physical and emotional health needs. The trust had several wellbeing initiatives in place, including a stop‑smoking clinic and a wellbeing trolley that provided food and drinks during shifts. Staff told us there was a dedicated wellbeing team available and a wellbeing at work policy they could refer to.

Staff were recognised for their contributions to the service, with initiatives such as the ‘Lewisham and Greenwich Trust Star Awards’. Nominations were submitted across the trust by patients, relatives, and carers, and recognised nurses and support workers who provided exceptional care. Staff were then presented with a certificate and thank you card.

Staff had regular one‑to‑one meetings with their managers and received annual appraisals, which was corroborated by appraisal rates exceeding the trust target of 90%. Staff told us they had good access to ongoing development and were encouraged to take up learning opportunities. For example, staff said leadership supported attendance at away days, and the Chief Nurse delivered a session as part of the programme.