Worthing Hospital

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• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this. We assessed all quality statements in this key question. The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to safe care and treatment. The breach was in relation communication between specialist teams and staff, families or carers or children and young people.

Leaders and staff used performance data, including local and national audits, to monitor the service and drive improvements. They communicated changes to policies and processes clearly, ensuring staff understood and implemented them effectively. Waiting times for treatments, and outcomes for children and young people, were consistent with national averages.

We have not awarded this service a score for Effective.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Effective.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

During the assessment 10 records were reviewed. Staff completed a comprehensive health assessment of the children and young people in a timely manner at, or soon after, admission. Staff developed care plans that met the needs identified during assessment. Care plans were personalised and holistic. Staff updated care plans when necessary.

Staff used a range of recognised pain assessment tools to assess children and young people of different ages and communication abilities. This supported consistent and appropriate assessment of pain and helped ensure individual needs were identified and responded to effectively. Parents, carers and children were involved in regular reviews with children’s doctors and neonatal specialists. Staff listened to their views and took them seriously. For example, parents and children were asked whether they felt the child’s condition was improving or getting worse since the last review. This information was clearly recorded in the child’s records.

Staff and parents told us about communication from the surgical team that was not always clear. Treatment plans often changed and were not always recorded clearly in the child’s records. Because there was no dedicated children’s surgical team, adult surgeons received additional training to perform both routine and emergency surgery on children.

At the previous assessment staff could not access the care plans for children and young people needing care from the Mental Health Liaison Team as they were employed by a neighbouring mental health trust. This was highlighted as a risk for these children and young people as the team caring for them did not have all the information needed to care for them. At this assessment key staff had access to the care plans and shared this information with the whole team. In addition, the team from the neighbouring trust recorded their treatment plans in the ward records as well as their own records.

Children could choose meals from either the adult or children’s menu, which offered a variety of options to suit different ages and dietary needs. Staff ensured snacks were available on the ward throughout the day although feedback showed parents, carers or children felt more food could be provided outside mealtimes. Parents who were not breastfeeding received baby formula, and a temperature-controlled fridge was available for mothers who were expressing breast milk. Staff followed national guidance when children were nil by mouth and prescribed and administered intravenous fluids in line with hospital protocols to maintain hydration and safety.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

Staff had access to up-to-date clinical guidelines via the hospital intranet. Children and young people clinicians met regularly and reviewed clinical guidelines and ensured they followed the latest guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The neonatal unit used current guidelines from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM).

Staff assessed and met children and young peoples’ needs for food and drink and for specialist nutrition and hydration. They used national tools, such as STAMP (Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Children and young peoples) for screening malnutrition and dehydration and acted on any indicators of concern. Records we reviewed during the assessment showed children and young people’s nutritional needs had been considered and acted upon.

Staff took part in regular checks and reviews to monitor and improve the quality of care. This included local and national reviews of services for children and young people, such as care for those with diabetes. Nursing teams regularly reviewed the quality of care and the involvement of families, while neonatal services carried out focused reviews of care for premature babies, including feeding and temperature control.

The service carried out a quality improvement project to make sure babies with prolonged jaundice were cared for in line with national guidance. As a result, babies were assessed more quickly and spent less time waiting during their visit. Unnecessary tests were reduced, while important checks were carried out more consistently. Fewer babies needed to return for further visits. The service identified further improvements, including developing electronic paperwork, updating information for parents and carers, and gathering feedback about families’ experiences.

The service audited the care of children and young people with a serious diabetes‑related condition over one year to check compliance with national guidance. Most children were very unwell on arrival, but staff generally provided timely, appropriate treatment with close monitoring, and complications were rare. It identified the need for better training for GPs and emergency staff to support earlier recognition of diabetes, and ongoing training for hospital teams to ensure safe, effective care.

The service had, easy‑to‑use guidance available for staff on how to refer patients for surgery and how to safely transfer children who are very unwell. Every transfer of a critically ill child was recorded and reviewed to see if anything could have been done better, and serious incidents were formally investigated when a child was harmed.

Neonatal teams changed how they worked together to ensure very sick babies could access beds more quickly. This included using the Beeding Ward to temporarily care for babies, helping to relieve pressure on units in the trust.

The service introduced nurse‑led discharge pathways, allowing nurses to safely discharge patients with certain minor conditions, improving the speed and efficiency of care. The service had access to a wide range of healthcare professionals to meet the needs of children and young people. This included doctors and nurses, as well as occupational therapists, social workers, pharmacists, speech and language therapists, and dietitians, who regularly visited the ward to assess and support children and young people.

Specialist nurses with experience in areas such as cancer care, palliative care, safeguarding, and diabetes also reviewed care and provided expert advice to support children and young people and their families.

Staff were suitably qualified, experienced, and had the right skills and knowledge to care for children and young people attending the service. A practice development team supported staff education and training to make sure staff were confident and competent in their roles.

The team regularly identified staff learning needs and provided opportunities for ongoing development, including ensuring staff received the specialist training required for their specific roles.

Leaders supported staff through structured induction, regular supervision, and annual appraisals, giving them opportunities to reflect, learn, and receive professional support. Between August 2024 and August 2025, Bluefin Ward achieved consistently high appraisal rates for medical staff. The service showed improving compliance with nursing appraisals.

The service strengthened support by introducing a dedicated supervision programme, delivering six sessions for 46 staff and embedding supervision into training and support activities.

The evidence showed some shortfalls. The service did not always work well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff, families and carers told us that the surgical team were not always responsive, and that treatment plans often changed. The surgical team did not always record their reviews or decisions in children and young people’s records, which caused confusion about planned treatment and care. Several staff, children and young people and their families or carer raised this as a concern during the assessment. Leaders had discussed this with the surgical team but had not seen an improvement.

Staff on the ward worked well together and held regular multidisciplinary meetings. The ward had a daily morning safety huddle which was well attended by clinicians and staff at all levels. Effective handovers within the team helped ensure important information about children and young people was shared.

Staff worked compassionately and collaboratively across disciplines to provide appropriate care and support timely discharge. They coordinated with external organisations when needed, and strong teamwork between physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses and medical staff helped children and young people manage their health needs at home or in school.

Clinical Nurse Specialists supported children and families across several areas of the hospital by providing expert advice, emotional support and continuity of care. They also advised staff and played an important role in coordinating complex care and supporting shared decision‑making.

Teams also supported young people to move safely into adult services. Specialist staff worked closely with adult teams to ensure continuity of care, and all consultants and specialists we spoke with recognised transition to adult services as a vital part of the care pathway.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduced their future needs for care and support.

Staff supported and encouraged children, young people and families to be involved in managing their own health and wellbeing. When appropriate, children, young people and families regularly talked with staff about their needs and how best to support them. Although most hospital stays were short, staff worked with teachers and families to make sure schoolwork could continue. Arrangements were made for children or young people to sit exams during their stay. A youth worker also supported young people by having sensitive conversations about issues such as smoking, drugs and alcohol, providing a trusted and independent source of help.

Staff promoted healthy lifestyles by encouraging children, young people and families to make positive choices. They offered culturally appropriate, healthy food options and helped young people choose nutritious meals. Activities such as arts and crafts and games consoles were available on weekdays, and a playroom with toys for all ages was open 24 hours a day.

Children, young people and families were involved in regular health checks and reviews with healthcare professionals. The diabetes team held clinics in secondary schools specifically for children with diabetes and organised activities such as forest school sessions and residential weekends to help them stay active and engaged while managing their condition.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

Staff used recognised safety tools to identify when a child or young person’s health might be getting worse, allowing them to act quickly and keep people safe. They used technology well, giving them fast access to test results such as blood tests and scans so decisions about care could be made without delay.

The service regularly reviewed the care it provided to make sure it was safe, effective and continuously improving. Staff monitored outcomes against national standards to ensure care met clinical guidance and the expectations of children, young people and their families. Diagnostic and support services were available seven days a week, and staff told us they could access these easily to support timely care.

The mental health nurse lead worked to balance the ward’s role as a children’s ward while also meeting the needs of children and young people with complex mental health needs. Although there were limited therapeutic activities on the unit, the service worked with partner organisations to bring in registered mental health nurses. This helped improve children and young people’s experiences and supported a move away from a focus on security towards more therapeutic care.

Children and young people also had access to a youth worker who supported care that reflected the diverse needs of the local community. This included helping young people talk about challenges such as social media pressures and gang‑related issues.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff supported children and young people to be involved in decisions about their care wherever possible. This included asking for verbal permission before carrying out routine checks, such as measuring blood pressure or temperature. When there were concerns that a child or young person might not be able to make certain decisions, staff checked and recorded their mental capacity for those specific decisions.

All doctors and nurses received training on how to assess a child or young person’s ability to make decisions, as part of safeguarding training. By 1 October 2025, over 83% of eligible staff had completed this training.

When children or young people could not make decisions for themselves, staff made decisions in their best interests. These decisions considered the child or young person’s wishes, feelings, cultural background and personal circumstances to ensure care was respectful and appropriate.