People told us that staff were very good and that they had received good care at the hospital. We were told that people were aware of their discharge plan and had been provided with information regarding their operation and recovery time. One person told us “the staff are wonderful, can’t fault the service” and another said “ I’m very pleased with everything”.

People's needs were assessed and care was planned and regularly reviewed; the care plans reflected people’s needs and the appropriate risk assessment were completed on admission. Medications were managed safely and documentation in the care plans was clear and legible. Records were stored securely and complaints were responded to within the appropriate timescales. The provider had systems in place to ensure that staff were recruited safely and the appropriate checks were completed prior to staff starting work at the home.

People told us that staff were polite and courteous at all times and respected their privacy and they told us they were happy with the information provided by the hospital and consultant. People were aware of the questionnaire provided in their information packs. People told us that they were happy with the care and that the medical and nursing staff were extremely good, one person said that care had exceeded their expectations.

People told us that staff provided a menu that was varied and checked their meal order was correct, we were told by some people that they thought the choice of food was fabulous.

This section was not completed for this inspection. More information about what we found during the inspection is available in the report below.

Overall, we rated the services at this hospital as good.

The hospital had taken action to mitigate risks to patients and surgical safety checklists were completed prior to surgery.

Patient records were up to date and contained all relevant information.

Medicines were managed safely and equipment was available and ready to use.

There were sufficient staff with appropriate qualifications to care for patients.

Staff were trained and aware of how to recognise the signs of abuse in adults and knew what action to take.

Care and treatment was informed by evidence based guidance.

Patients received effective pain relief.

Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and patients spoke positively about staff and the care they received.  We observed staff speaking to patients in a calm reassuring tone.

Access for treatment was generally good with a low rate for procedures being cancelled and patients being readmitted.

The hospital followed the BMI national complaints procedure and complaints were discussed at the Medical Advisory Committee and trends identified. They were also discussed at staff team meetings.

Services were well led and senior staff had oversight of the risks, with plans to mitigate them, for each area. An example of this was the suspension of children's services because they were not meeting the standards for children's services.

The daily inter-department (10@10) meeting was attended by staff from each service and the hospital manager had an opportunity to share information on activities, equipment, staffing and incidents.

Staff from all departments were positive about the local and hospital leadership and commented how it had improved since the appointment of the new hospital manager. Staff felt they were supported by the local and hospital leadership team and their views were sought through the staff forum.  

However:

Access to hand washing sinks and sinks did not comply with infection prevention and control guidelines. Floor coverings were not in line with infection prevention and control best practice guidance.

There was no formal rota for out of hours consultant cover.

Pre- procedure checks were performed, but the doctor had not always countersigned they were correct.