Hever ward was closed due to a heating fault and because senior management felt that patient care may be compromised by the high levels of agency staff required to maintain operational staffing levels. This was a temporary measure to consolidate and reassess the skills and experience of existing permanent staff.

There were eight patients on Chartwell ward on the day of the inspection. We spoke with three patients, one relative and staff.

Patients told us that they were satisfied with the care being provided and felt safe. One patient we spoke with said they were, “Pleased with my care”. Another patient said they were, “Lucky to have a nice hospital”.

Patients and relatives spoke positively about the staff and told us that the admission process was, “Well organised by very caring staff who pre-empted the patients needs”.

Staff told us that they felt supported in their roles and had regular individual supervision.

We saw evidence that there were quality assurance processes in place.

All the records we saw during the inspection were up to date. Individual patient care plans were formulated from the initial admission assessments and we saw that adjustments were made to records when there was any change to a patient’s needs.

Patients said that staff treated them with respect, listened to them and supported them to raise any concerns they had. They also said that they received the medical, nursing and personal care they needed and that they were comfortable on the ward.

One patient said, 'The staff are excellent really, always busy but very kind and willing to help' and 'I'm happy with the hospital because it's small and friendly and they take good care of you. I've got exercises to do to get me up and about and I know that there are plans for me to go home as soon as possible'.