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

We looked for evidence that people were always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We checked that people’s privacy and dignity was respected, that they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also 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.

This is the first time we have inspected this service. At this inspection we rated the service as good. This meant people felt well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect. Staff listened to, understood and responded to the needs of people and acted to minimise distress. Staff wellbeing was well promoted to enable them to always deliver person-centred 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 and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People felt they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support. All patients we spoke with told us how kind and caring staff had been during their admission. One patient told us the care had been “amazing” and another told us “staff are really caring”.

Staff tried to ensure patients’ privacy and dignity was respected and upheld at all times. Within the Emergency Gynaecology Unit (EGU) there were patients who were experiencing pregnancy loss and other distressing situations. Staff ensured they managed their care sensitively and their dignity was maintained. Where possible, staff tried to allocate rooms where women could stay rather than a bay amongst other women during their difficult time.

People felt staff listened to them and communicated with them appropriately, in a way they could understand. Patient’s we spoke with told us they were aware of their medical condition and the plan in place for their care and treatment.

Patients told us staff responded to their needs quickly and efficiently, especially if they were in pain, discomfort or distress. Patients we spoke with told us staff had been very attentive to their needs, despite being aware of how busy they were. One patient told us they had received prompt pain relief throughout their admission and felt safe and well cared for at all times.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Staff took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People’s individual needs and preferences were understood and these were reflected in their care, treatment and support. We observed examples of care where staff had ensured they recorded specific details about the needs of the patient they were caring for, and ensured these needs were met. One patient suffered from significant phobia’s whilst in hospital which staff ensured they were aware of and took steps to meet her needs. This was contained in detailed records kept by staff in relation to the patients needs.

People’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood and met. Patients had access to the department of spiritual care if they required support during their admission. The department of spiritual care was made up of 16 chaplains from a wide range of cultural and faith backgrounds. The service specifically had access to a bereavement chaplain who had provided support to many women who had attended the EGU where a pregnancy loss was confirmed. Staff spoke highly of the care and the support they provided to women.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were supported to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing. We observed a patient who was nervous about their appointment and requested their partner to be present. Staff were understanding and accommodating of this request and recognised the importance of this to the patient. By accommodating the patient’s choice for having their partner present, this would help to relax the patient during the procedure and reduce any discomfort or anxiety they may otherwise have experienced.

People had access to their friends and family whilst using the service. Visiting times were in place for the patients admitted to the ward, although any patients who had additional needs or were living with any cognitive impairment were welcome to have a family member or carer with them. Women attending the EGU were welcome to have someone with them to support them.

Staff made sure patients and those close to them understood their care and treatment. Patients we spoke with during our inspection told us they were aware of their condition and plans in place for their care and treatment.

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 took account of patients’ needs, views, wishes and comfort and ensured they were a priority and acted quickly to avoid any preventable discomfort, concern or distress. In addition to the gynaecology staff meeting the immediate needs of patients to reduce distress and discomfort, additional support was also provided by specialist nurses, bereavement staff and faith leaders.

Staff were alert to patients’ needs and took time to observe, communicate and engage patients in discussing their immediate needs. Staff completed documents which enabled them to record the patients’ interests and information about how to meet their immediate needs.

Staff recognised when patients needed urgent help and support and used appropriate tools and technology to assist. Staff supported patients who became distressed in an open environment and helped them maintain their privacy and dignity. When breaking bad news, staff ensured this was completed in a supportive and empathetic way and away from other patients to respect their dignity.

Patients and their families could give feedback on the service and their treatment and staff supported them to do this. The service used ‘I want great care’ to receive feedback from patients, service users and carers. Information showed gynaecology services achieved a 4.72 out of 5 stars for the care provided between 1 September and 30 November 2025 which was an improvement of 0.12 from the previous reporting period (2 June to 31 August 2025). The response rate for the reporting period was 597 responses which were mainly from patients however family members had also submitted feedback during this time.

The service had also collected feedback from women who used the service directly to enable them to improve the care they provided patients. Surveys were completed within the colposcopy and hysteroscopy clinics, all of which had demonstrated high levels of patient satisfaction. Additional comments captured on these surveys identified what lengths staff went to, to meet the needs of patients and how kind and compassionate they had been.

The service always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

People received safe, effective and person-centred care by staff who mostly had their wellbeing needs prioritised by the trust. The trust had implemented a number of wellbeing and support measures. There was an employee assist programme which provided support to staff 24 hours a day. Staff also told us about how they had access to a GP within the minor injury department as well as the ability to self-refer to physiotherapy if required.

Staff within the service told us about additional measures they had offered their colleagues to support their wellbeing. This included staff running menopause clinics for women who were perimenopausal, menopausal or post-menopausal. Staff told us this had been received well by their colleagues and was well utilised. There was also a smear clinic which had been created to support colleagues who found it difficult to access other services to receive this important screening. Again, staff told us colleagues had been grateful for this being offered.

People’s experience of the service was driven by a culture that normalised good wellbeing, inclusivity, active listening and open conversations. People were supported by staff who felt valued by their leaders and colleagues. Staff were positive about the culture within the service and felt listened to and respected. Staff told us they were not afraid to speak up if they had concerns. They were aware of all avenues available to them to share their concerns. These included local professional nurse advocates as well as their immediate line managers and the freedom to speak up service.