University Hospital

On this page

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

Staff treated children and young people with kindness, compassion, and dignity on wards 15 and 16 and the neonatal unit. We found staff on these wards had a positive experience in relation to their wellbeing. However, we found one young person in crisis on ward 14 had not always been treated with kindness, compassion, and dignity.

Friends and family survey results were mostly positive about all service areas. For example, most responses rated the service as ‘mainly good’ or ‘very good.’

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.

People’s experience

Children and young people and their families were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were caring and kind and went above and beyond to ensure they delivered compassionate care. We spoke with 14 children and young people and their families, and they all told us they thought staff treated them kindly and with respect.

The trust provided us with friends and family survey data from a range of clinical areas. The feedback was mostly positive. Parents expressed their gratitude for the care and kindness staff showed them. They were highly complimentary about the support they were provided during a very stressful time. A sample of the comments reviewed included: “all staff at Coventry see my daughter as a child and not a number, they are always there if you need any support or guidance” and “you listen to patients and their advocates, please carry on.” Also: “we had a good transition from hospital to home.” There was also a notable trend in parents reporting feeling involved in their child’s care and treatment plans.

We noted a small number of negative feedback mostly related to car parking and some mild frustration with communication which was usually quickly resolved. However, parents stated they felt they could ask questions about their child’s care and treatment.

A parent told us: “I had reservations coming on to ward 15, but the staff and ward manager made us feel welcome, staff are friendly, with a relaxed atmosphere.”

The service completed an NHS survey called the Friends and Family Test. For June, July, and August 2024 most results were consistently positive.

Feedback from staff and leaders

Staff put children and young people and their families at the heart of their care delivery. Staff expressed a commitment to ensuring the care they delivered was kind, compassionate and individualised. Staff spoke passionately about the care and treatment they provided for the children and young people. and told us they were committed to delivering the best care.

Staff told us the service offered same sex ward bays for older children to provide more privacy and dignity. Staff shared examples with us of how they had arranged outings for children and young people in line with their interests.

Observation

We observed staff treating children, young people and their families with kindness and compassion. Staff nurtured positive relationships with those they cared for and did all they reasonably could to understand individual needs and preferences.

We observed staff on ward 15 and 16 and in outpatients introducing themselves to the children or young people and asking how they were feeling. We saw each bay had curtains which parents and staff could close if they required privacy.

We observed staff in the neonatal unit supporting parents and showing kindness and compassion.

However, we did identify one child in crisis whose care was not dignified or respectful and lacked dignity. This included the young person being physically restrained while in distress. Other children and young people and families were able to witness these events taking place on the ward.

Processes

There were processes to collect and collate patient satisfaction data. The trend and themes from these were used to improve the service. The data we reviewed showed high levels of satisfaction with the service provided.

People’s experience

Parents were able to give examples of where their child’s individual needs were met. One parent told us their young child liked routine and enjoyed a bath before going to bed at home. They told us staff on the ward also enabled them to also have a bath before bed to maintain routine.

Children or young people and parents said staff would speak to the children and explain what was going to happen next. A parent told us their young child had noticed the difference between nurse and doctors and would give more smiles and fist bumps to doctors as they were not in uniform.

Feedback from staff and leaders

Staff shared with us the different forms of communication they used when caring for children and young people. The service also used the translation service to aid communication with patients and their families where English was not their first language.

The service also used an electronic communication pictorial tool with non-verbal children to help them communicate.

Staff shared examples of where they had supported children and young people considering their diverse needs. For example, on ward 14 a young person with autism required medical tests. The young person’s carers worked with the ward and photos of the environment were taken. To help reduce anxiety, the young person was able to look through these before they came to the hospital and also at each stage of their care and treatment.

The service had chaperones who were available to children and young people if they required any examinations. These were used if any patient required this support.

Staff on the neonatal ward told us ward rounds had been developed to include psychologists, development care leads, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists for a more holistic experience for the patient.

Observation

Medical staff and nursing staff were working well together on most wards to meet the individual needs of the children and young people.

We observed good interaction and support for children using the education room and the play area. Children also completed education sessions to help them keep up with their formal education.

People’s experience

Children, young people, and their families told us they were able to have family members visit, and visiting hours were clearly communicated. Some parents told us they stayed with their child and slept in a parent's bed next to their child’s bed, so they were close by. We observed nursing staff and medical staff discuss medication and how to administer these once the child or young person had returned home with the parent or carer.

Feedback from staff and leaders

Children and young people were given support to be as independent as possible and staff knew their rights to which they were entitled to, so they had appropriate levels of control of their own lives.

People’s experience

Although staff did their best to meet people’s needs and wishes, in an example from a patient, there had been confusion around a scan for a child. This was not undertaken entirely in accordance with the patient’s wishes and the process was poorly explained.

Feedback from staff and leaders

Staff considered children, young people and their families individual care needs when planning their treatment, as reflected in the records we reviewed.

During the pre-operative assessments, staff discussed any concerns children, or their families had. The play specialists team provided information to patients in a child-friendly format and familiarised them with the ward prior to admission.

Patient ‘passports’ were provided to children and young people with additional needs and their families or carers. This document contained personalised information about the child or young person and supported their admission. However, we found one example where this documentation was not completed.

Staff told us about Jack’s bereavement room. This was where parents were able to spend time with their child when they had died and where they were provided with bereavement support from staff. The service had a cuddle cot, which was a cooling device which enabled parents to spend as much time as they needed with their child.

Luna the therapy dog had started visiting the neonatal unit in 2024 to spend time with parents and staff.

The service used a mobile phone application to tailor care to young people's specific needs, allowing patients and their families to virtually explore the exact rooms they will visit on the day of their procedure. Designed for use in healthcare settings across the UK, the app supports children and young people to understand and familiarise themselves with the hospital environment prior to admission, helping to reduce anxiety and improve their overall experience.

Observation

We observed staff physically restraining a young person on ward 14. This was uncoordinated and staff did not communicate effectively with the young person or each other for the best outcome for the young person.

We observed staff responding to call bells in a timely manner and answering any questions children and young people or their parents had. Parents in neonates could go to the parent’s room to be able to have discussions with staff or have a break and be able to have a drink.

We saw staff do an age-appropriate pain assessment in line with national guidance and in collaboration with a parent.

Feedback from staff and leaders

Staff mostly told us they felt valued and respected. They also told us about a range of wellbeing offerings and the practical support they received from their immediate line managers. However, there was some disparity in the feedback we received from staff on ward 14 who felt they were not getting the support they needed to stay well at work and manage their wellbeing.

We spoke to 39 members of staff of all levels during the inspection. We mostly received positive feedback about the culture of the service. Staff told us there was mostly a positive culture in the service. They were complimentary about the effective relationships between nursing staff and medical staff which had a positive impact on multidisciplinary care delivery.

However, some staff told us they felt the culture was poor. Some staff in ward 14, 15 and neonates told there was some aspects of a poor culture.

There were support cafes to give staff an opportunity to be reminded of what the current health and wellbeing offers were. They could take a break and have a cup of tea or coffee, and chat to one of the people support team about the support available.

The people support team sometimes went on night walks on a monthly basis to speak with night workers. This was to explain the support services were to all staff, even if those staff worked permanent night shifts.

In paediatrics the service had 2 professional nurse advocates (PNAs) and 3 mental health first aiders who were professionals offering additional staff support when required. However, data showed there were low levels of staff receiving support.

Processes

The service had policies and procedures to support staff wellbeing.

Staff wellbeing was discussed at safety champion huddles. The neonatal team undertook an assessment of their safety culture through the SCORE survey. This examined safety culture, operational risk, reliability/burnout, and engagement. The team said the feedback from this survey had given them the opportunity to look at how teams worked together and enabled a number of cultural conversations.

The trust offered a range of wellbeing support for staff. This included but was not restricted to wellbeing webinars, NHS talking therapies as well as an onsite counselling service. There was a menopause helpline, people support café’s, night walks, ‘laughthercise,’ and a 24/7 employee assist programme. The trust was launching a GP online and ‘your care’ platform due to commence in October 2024. There was an effort to improve communications with staff to make them aware of the services they could access. Posters were put up in the staff toilets as well as introducing a ‘Z’ card which was a pocket size info card. The trust also had a QR code. This meant staff who were not at work could still also access signposting information and services.

Staff were encouraged to raise concerns with their immediate line managers. Most staff we talked to felt able to do so. Speak up support was also available from the Freedom to Speak up Guardian, chaplaincy team, unions, and staff-side representatives.