Epsom General 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

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

We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. We found that people were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. Their privacy and dignity were respected. People were able to make their own decisions and be understood. Their information was kept confidential. 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. 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.

Staff treated people with kindness. People felt staff listened to them and communicated with them in a way they could understand. We saw staff of all grades sensitively and comprehensively explaining to patients the plan of care. Patients said they had their privacy and dignity respected. When staff assisted patients with personal hygiene needs and during ward rounds, they took care to draw curtains around the bed space for privacy. We observed staff interact with patients with kindness and compassion. For example, we observed a member of the catering team setting a patient’s meal before them so that they could reach everything. This person then explained what they had brought the patient and that the ice cream that they had ordered would be brought to them shortly so that it did not melt.

Similarly, we heard staff speaking to each other and noted a culture of kindness and respect between colleagues. Staff collaborated with other experienced colleagues to provide support for people with specialist health needs and provided support for patients’ emotional wellbeing. Patient feedback was very positive, with many saying that the staff could not do enough for them. One of these included “The doctors and nurses on Swift ward, despite their busy daily schedule, went above and beyond their normal duties and I am truly grateful for all the care and kindness they showed me during my moments of anxiety and distress. They were never too busy to stop, talk and reassure me in any way they could, particularly when I was confused….”

There was mostly positive feedback from partners. National patient survey data reflected people felt that their discharge was handled well in terms of good information and support. The hospital was in line with the national average in most categories of the patient survey. This survey showed that there were concerns from patients about the amount of time they had to wait before surgery. Staff we spoke with understood the issues around capacity and took time to explain to patients their treatment. Swift ward scored 97% in the friends and family test. Staff described when they would take extra care for patients who may have complex needs. This included those living with dementia and those with a learning disability.

Staff listened and acted upon people’s needs including contacting family or friends. We heard a nurse ask permission to discuss the patients progress with their son following the ward round. Staff took care to maintain patients' dignity and all electronic care records were secure and password protected. We saw examples of where action had been taken to address areas raised by family members or patients through the “you said we did“ initiative. Staff were aware of the actions taken and could say why they had been implemented.

We heard how the services adjusted to meet the needs of patients with a learning disability. Staff took time to understand their specific needs and involve their usual carers in the hospital journey and care. Staff understood how distressing a new environment could be and facilitated visits to the ward. Staff also ensured that patients who may find admission and treatment distressing were often treated first on an operating list where possible. For patients requiring complex care several meetings preadmission were held with regular carers to explore how to ensure that the patient experienced the least distress possible. Staff understood the importance of ensuring that care provided reflected that provided in the community.

People’s individual needs and preferences were understood, and these were reflected in their care, treatment and support. We saw that patients and those that cared for them participated in care planning were involved in this activity. Patients were asked about their preferences, likes and dislikes and these were recorded. Staff shared information effectively to ensure that patients shared information only once. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how to meet patients personal, cultural, social and religious needs. They told us how they adapted care to meet these individual needs. Staff treated patients as individuals, considering any relevant protected equality characteristics. Staff had a good understanding of the needs of neurodiverse patients. These were met with the assistance of family members.

Staff ensured that patients could obtain information on treatments, local services and how to complain. Leaflets were available on racks in the ward areas. Whilst most information was in English staff stated that they thought they could access this in other languages if needed. However, staff spoke a variety of languages and could provide translation services if required. They reflected that this was not often required by patients. Dietary requirements of patients were met with a variety of menus being available to patients. Spiritual support was available through a chaplaincy arrangement.

Patients were supported to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions, and where appropriate about their care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff involved patients in the planning of their care. This considered their personal preferences. specialist nurses such as the stoma nurse spoke with patients about the siting of the proposed stoma as described above. The enhanced nurse practitioner would discuss with patients options for treatment and care postoperatively with patients. They could advise them of local support groups which they could attend.

Patients were supported to understand their rights by using different ways to communicate. If staff had a concern that patients may not fully understand their care this was reviewed throughout their care and treatment. We heard staff explaining several times to a patient who was confused about their follow up care. Staff had access to interpreters to support conversations. However, some patients required support from their usual care team to help them understand and staff encouraged this as part of the routine care of these patients.

Patients were supported to maintain relationships and networks that were important to them. Visiting hours were fairly relaxed to support families and those close to the patient. We saw a patient who wanted to contact their family was supported in making a call from a telephone on the ward as they had no mobile telephone of their own. Whilst the working of the telephone was explained to the elderly patient the member of staff placed the call and ensured a response was had before discreetly removing themselves so that the patient could have a private conversation. Arrangements could be made if large families visited as the ward occupancy allowed.

Patients with long term conditions had access to support groups in the local community to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing. Specialist staff were able to support patients to access these services. The enhanced nurse practitioner had a list of organisations which they could refer patients to.

Staff listened to and understood patients’ needs, views and wishes. They responded to patients’ needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. We saw this in practice and corroborated this via the national patient survey, where the trust scored in line with the national average in the questions about nurses and doctors involving patients.

The ward had sufficient beds for the numbers of patients seen each year. Due to the design of the ward the team could flex the numbers of beds provided. This meant that they could accept some medical patients whilst still providing planned surgical care. There was good communication between the Day Surgery Unit and Swift Ward to ensure that all patients had the most appropriate care provided. The Day Surgery Unit had space to coordinate patients going through the unit. Staff utilised risk assessments to aid their decision about where the best place for care was on the day.

Whilst Swift ward accepted patients for planned care only, should a patient deteriorate there were services available to support the staff and patients. Care was provided by the critical care outreach team and a decision would be made as to the need to move the patient either to a different area within the hospital or transfer them to the St Helier or St George’s Hospital site for ongoing care. The local team liaised with the on-call specialty team at the relevant hospital. Patients felt that there were enough staff on duty to respond quickly to their call bells. We saw that call bells when we were on the ward were rarely used as staff were about on the ward. When a call bell rang, this was responded to quickly. All staff were empathetic to patients undergoing surgery. They were considerate of the stress of being in hospital and the need for information on what the pathway was for the patient. For patients having life changing surgery emotional and psychological support services were available.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The leaders actively supported staff in making improvements where staff felt able. There was a health and wellbeing steering group which looked at a variety of different ways that the trust could support staff. We reviewed the group’s meeting notes for June 2025 and noted that this group was in the early phase of development.

Staff told us that they were valued and listened to by leaders and were able to escalate concerns to managers or directly to leaders. Leaders told us staff wellbeing was important to them. Many staff members told us they had worked at the hospital for several years due to the work culture. Several staff members referred to the staff as “a family.” Swift ward team arranged a summer BBQ event and a Christmas meal out as well as other events during the year to enhance team wellbeing. The team consisted of 26 members of staff and of these 22 were attending the Christmas meal. The Day Surgery Unit and theatre department team undertook events such as Bake Off, monthly walks, sports days and food weeks where staff brought in different foods for everyone to try.

Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Leaders were aware of the challenges within the theatre department of the fabric of the rest room and had a plan of action to improve this area. Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work. Matrons knew their staff well and would provide support and signposting to other services as necessary. Staff had access to a wide range of health and wellbeing support covering mental, physical, financial, social, and cultural needs. Mental health services included counselling, self-help resources, and manager training on supporting staff wellbeing. Physical wellbeing was supported through occupational health, physiotherapy, musculoskeletal hubs, menopause and smoking cessation programmes, infant feeding facilities, vaccinations, and fitness opportunities. Financial wellbeing was addressed through online discounts, salary sacrifice schemes, and other money management guidance.

There were many opportunities for staff to attend staff networks including BAME; Armed Forces; LGBTQIA+; Disabled Staff; Carers; Women’s; Trans, Non-Binary & Intersex; Religion & Belief, Menopause Café and resources, as well as the Health & Wellbeing Network for all staff. The theatre department was in the process of supporting staff and promoting a culture of civility and safety. The champion for this piece of work had introduced an initiative called “would you like a cup of tea” which encouraged staff to offer others an opportunity to talk about issues that may be worrying them. The service have yet to see an impact of this piece of work.

The service supported staff induction and continued professional development. Training days were organised multiple times a year in focused relevant areas. Staff told us cover was provided cover to ensure they could attend the training. Mini learning sessions were arranged and attended by ward staff. These covered a variety of topics including the deteriorating patient. Staff felt positive and proud about working for the provider and their team.

Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service. The service’s staff sickness rate was 6.4% which was above their target of 4%. Leaders had actions to reduce staff sickness including wellbeing days.