Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

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

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with compassion and kindness.

We observed staff interacting positively with patients and showing empathy and understanding.

Patients said some staff went above and beyond to support them with kindness and care.

Description: We treat people as individuals and make sure their care, support and treatment meets their needs and preferences, taking account of their strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Quality Statement Score:3

3. We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences.

They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The service made adjustments for disabled patients, ensuring all premises were accessible and ensuring specific communication needs were met. However, there were some issues accessing garden areas from upstairs at Parklands for disabled people. For example the garden area was only accessible via steps.

We saw varying communication needs being met and staff knew how and when to seek specialist advice.

Staff ensured that patients could obtain information on treatments, local services, patients’ rights and how to complain.. We saw advocacy posters on the wards and information about how to contact the CQC for patients detained under the MHA.

We spoke with advocacy staff on the wards and they said they were involved in daily ward life supporting patients.

Staff made information leaflets available in languages spoken by patients. Staff said these were available on request and recently made available in Urdu and Polish.

Managers ensured that staff and patients had easy access to interpreters and/or signers. There were dedicated specialist providers the Trust could access to provide these services.

Patients had a choice of food to meet the dietary requirements of religious and ethnic groups and to account for allergies and intolerances. However, some patients felt the choices were limited at times. For example, just one vegetarian option per meal.

Staff ensured that patients had access to appropriate spiritual support. We saw multi faith and prayer rooms throughout the wards with appropriate faith-based worship materials. Staff and patients had access to faith leaders including chaplains and Imams.

Description: We promote people’s independence, so they know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment. and wellbeing.

Quality Statement Score:3

3. We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard.

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

We saw evidence of patient’s rights being explained to them in line with this requirement under section 132 of the Mental Health Act 1983. This was recorded appropriately and audited regularly by staff.

Patients were given relevant information to make informed choices about their own care.

Description: We listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. We respond to these in that moment and will act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Quality Statement Score:3

3. 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 were aware of and dealt with any specific risk issues, such as falls or pressure ulcers and care planned for these accordingly. We saw evidence of appropriate liaison with other specialist services including tissue viability nurses (TVN) and speech and language therapists (SALT).

Staff identified and responded to changing risks to, or posed by, patients. Staff reviewed risks regularly and audited this process to ensure compliance. Risk assessments were dynamic and patient- centred.

Staff used de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for physical interventions when patients’ behaviours became heightened. We saw evidence of staff using verbal de- escalation techniques to manage patients’ distress and behaviour. Staff used appropriate strategies for calming difficult situations including diverting patients and avoiding conflict.

Workforce wellbeing and enablement was evident on the wards with many staff saying the team working and peer support was very important. Staff described morale as variable but valued the input of peers and immediate line managers in supporting their own wellbeing. Morale was particularly low in the services previously run by Solent NHS Trust ,St James Portsmouth and IoW Osborne ward as staff did not always feel valued following the new trust formation.

Staff knew about and how to access other staff support services including employee assistance programmes, freedom to speak up guardians and the trade unions.

Description: We care about and promote the wellbeing of our staff, and we support and enable them to always deliver person centred care.

Quality Statement Score 2

3. We scored the service as 2. The evidence showed some shortfalls.

The service did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff and did not always support and enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

Staff did not always feel respected, supported and valued by senior leaders. However, staff described good support from their immediate line managers and peers.

Staff felt positive and proud about working in their team. However, some staff felt there was a lack of visibility from senior leaders particularly since the formation of the new Trust in October 2024. Some staff felt isolated and forgotten about due to size and scope of new organisation. Some staff felt the Trust had become impersonal and more bureaucratic which had negatively influenced caring by front line staff. This was particularly mentioned as a concern by staff previously working for Solent and IoW Trust services.

Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service. Some staff had reasonable adjustments and flexible hours in place to meet personal needs. The services staff average sickness rate for March 2025 was 6%

The provider recognised staff success within the service. For example, through staff and team awards.

Staff appraisals included conversations about career development and how it could be supported. We saw support workers who had been promoted to band 4 roles as associate practitioners at Elmleigh. We also saw physical health support workers who had been trained in additional relevant skills such as phlebotomy and recording electrocardiograms. (ECG)