Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

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

Our overall rating of caring has stayed the same as good. Community health inpatient services for adults were rated as good.

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity, and respect.

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.

The service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff understood the personal, cultural, social, and religious needs of patients and how they may relate to care needs. Adjustments were made for people based on any needs they had including patients with a disability, sensory needs, learning disabilities or autism. Patients were supported to understand their rights, care, and treatment so they could make informed decisions about their care. Staff responded promptly to patients’ immediate needs. Staff we spoke with felt respected, supported, and valued.

This service scored 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We scored the service as a 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. They treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff were discreet and responsive when caring for patients. Staff took time to interact with patients and those close to them in a respectful and considerate way. Patients and relatives, we spoke to confirmed this.

We spoke with 11 patients across Avocet and CICC wards and we observed patient care on the wards. Patients told us that staff were kind and treated them with dignity and respect. We observed staff treating patients kindly and respectfully.

Staff followed policy to keep patient care and treatment confidential. Staff used computer systems to keep confidential information secure. Staff used screens in wards to ensure that patient’s dignity was respected. On the wards there were posters to remind staff about confidentiality and data handling.

Staff understood and respected the individual needs of each patient and showed understanding and a non-judgmental attitude when caring for or discussing patients with mental health needs.

Staff understood and respected the personal, cultural, social, and religious needs of patients and how they may relate to care needs.

We spoke with 9 family members and patients on Avocet and CICC wards. All carers told us their relatives were treated with dignity and respect and observed kind and positive interactions.

We scored the service as a 4. The evidence showed a very good standard. The service treated people as individuals and made sure their care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences, taking account of their strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The service made adjustments for disabled patients. The wards accessed translators for patients as required, staff used different forms of communication and the wards had a communication team. Staff told us a patient who was unable to speak were given an alphabet board so they could spell things out, staff also used communication boards and cards that patients could point to.

A ‘This is Me' document was completed by staff in conjunction with patient, family, friends, or carers to better understand patients with autism or learning disability or a cognitive impairment and make reasonable adjustments by adapting the communication approach.

Managers told us that patients who had recent falls and may feel anxiety, had patient led physical therapy adapted by the physiotherapists. We observed discharge meetings on the wards, patients’ individual needs were discussed, including any equipment they would require if they were moving back home.

Staff ensured that patients had access to appropriate spiritual support. There was a multi faith room and a chaplain service and staff could arrange for patients to see a priest if required.

There were different activities on the ward to suit peoples’ choices. This included jigsaws, puzzles, TV, arts and crafts and a giant computer word search with large font.

The wards were bright and had pictures, which staff told us assisted patients with dementia to find their way back to their rooms. There was a display on 1 ward celebrating Remembrance Day and a board with staff names and photos, so that patients were aware of who was caring for them.

Staff ensured that patients could obtain information on treatments, local services, patients’ rights, how to complain and so on. The information provided was in a form accessible to the patient group.

Patients had a choice of food to meet their dietary requirements and religious and ethnic groups and to account for allergies and intolerances. Food choices included vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and allergy free, low sugar or low salt.

Staff gave patients and those close to them help, emotional support and advice when they needed it.

We scored the service as a 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service promoted people’s independence, so they knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment, and wellbeing.

We spoke to 11 patients and 9 relatives who all said they felt they had choice and control over their own care and were able to make decisions about their care, treatment, and wellbeing. Patients and families told us they were fully involved in discharge and other meetings about their care and support while in the hospital.

Patients and carers told us that relatives were welcomed onto the wards and there were flexible visiting hours or could ask for flexible visiting.

On the wards there were a good range of different chairs, furniture, and mobility aids to suit each patient’s individual needs and choices. Patients had alarms on CICC which were on a lanyard and triggered an alarm if they fell, staff explained these were effective and were seen worn by patients as they walked around the wards. The hospital made referrals to a local provider for wheelchair and specialist equipment and patient appliances for example splints, surgery hosiery, and orthotics.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. 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 responded promptly to patients’ immediate needs. This included assisting with daily living activities such as eating, dressing, and mobility, providing adaptive equipment, supporting with communication and swallowing difficulties, managing acute symptoms, and offering emotional reassurance. Staff also delivered timely medical and therapy interventions, ensuring patients received personalised care to maintain safety, comfort, and progress in rehabilitation.

Where ward staff were unable to provide specialist support, referrals were made to specialist services for example podiatry, dietetics, speech and language therapy, and tissue viability nurses.

We observed staff making time to talk to patients and patients told us that staff responded to their immediate needs.

Staff were aware of and dealt with any specific risk issues, such as falls or pressure ulcers and care planned for these accordingly. Staff identified and responded to changing risks to, or posed by, patients. Care plans and assessments were updated and the multidisciplinary team (MDT) assessed the following day.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. We care about and promote the wellbeing of our staff, and we support and enable them to always deliver person centred care.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued by the provider and their managers. Staff felt positive and proud about working for the provider and their team and told us they enjoyed working on the wards.

Managers told us there were policies for staff to work flexible hours, for example staff with young children could work an early shift so they were able to pick up their children and attend medical appointments.

On the wards we observed posters for zero tolerance of violence, you said we did, staff surveys, protecting staff from violence and abuse at work and contact details for staff if they were concerned about safety in their work environment. Confidential support helpline details were available and details of the employee assistance offer for example health and wellbeing, carers, consumer and legal and money worries.

The provider had recently launched a new recognition and rewards platform to share in the moment recognition with colleagues and managers and had annual quality and staff recognition awards. Staff receive a regular weekly newsletter which includes wellbeing.