Enter & View visit to St Georges Hospital
What we did
We visited inpatient wards in order to assess the current situation, and to learn more about the planned improvements following a 2016 report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which found that the Medical Care service at St George’s Hospital (which included the senior health wards) ‘required improvement’.
To prepare for these visits, Enter &View (E&V) team members, (who in this case all had clinical backgrounds) received additional training from a CQC inspector who provided guidance on the key features that make for acceptable and safe environments of care for people with dementia.
Seven members of the E&V team visited Heberden Ward (3rd floor, Lanesborough Wing), Amyand and Rodney Smith Wards (3rd floor, St James’ Wing) over two days.
Owing to the large number of patients affected by dementia, delirium or other impairments of their mental capacity the team used observations of interactions and practice to supplement interviews.
Full interviews were completed with thirteen patients and ten relatives/carers across the three wards.
Key Findings
We saw a great deal of good practice, including strong leadership from the Matron, and picked up several complimentary remarks about the care provided by ward nurses. However, Healthwatch Wandsworth suggested that more could be done to ensure that consistently high standards of care are met, including:
- Improving the quality of care:
- Patients are helped appropriately with eating and drinking and that proper hygiene standards are maintained at mealtimes.
- Patients are helped to communicate their needs more effectively.
- Patients are always treated with dignity and respect.
- More attention is paid to the emotional needs of patients, including identifying signs of depression.
- Patients with mental capacity:
- Patients with mental capacity are treated appropriately as well as being fully involved in their treatment decisions.
- Carer involvement:
- Nurses and medical staff should ensure that carers and family members are regularly updated about the progress of their relative.
- Flexible visiting times for carers and close family members of all patients on senior health wards are enacted.
- Brief Information packs or leaflets should be prepared for each ward which outlines what patients and carers can expect from a stay on the wards.
- Give named contacts for carers and name of the Consultant as well as information about interpreting services and guidance about how to raise any concerns or make a complaint.
- Refurbishment - the scope for improving effective space standards as well as the application of dementia friendly design must be considered.
- All shower rooms should in future be step-free wet rooms.
- Ensure that all call bells are working and within the reach of patients, especially in side rooms; all wards, once refurbished, should have a space for private conversations between carers and patients or carers and staff; activities and stimulation which can be provided by the bedside to be introduced, and free access to TV and WiFi for senior patients and their carers are provided.
What happens next?
We shared our report with senior staff in charge of the wards. They looked at our findings and recommendations and produced a formal response and action plan about how they could make a few changes to improve patient experiences. You can download their response below.
Download the reports here
If you need this report in a different format, please e mail:
enquiries@healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk or call 020 8516 7767
