Patients told us what it was like to stay at the hospital and described how they were

treated by staff and their involvement in making choices about their care. They also told us about the quality and choice of food and drink available. This was because this inspection was part of a themed inspection programme to assess whether patients staying at hospital are treated with dignity and respect and whether their nutritional needs are met.

The inspection team was led by two CQC inspectors and a practicing professional. The

team was joined by an Expert by Experience (people who have experience of using

services and who can provide that perspective). We talked with 21 patients, four relatives and 14 staff within the hospital and observed the care and support provided to other patients. We visited both wards at Franklyn Hospital. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people. We spoke with a range of staff from the wards and looked at five patient records.

Patients and their relatives told us that all staff treated them with dignity and respect. One patient’s relatives said “the care here is excellent and staff work extremely hard”.

Most patients we asked about food thought it was lovely with lots of choice. One person said “The food is good, they provide a varied menu and it is very nice” although another person said “its, fine, I just don’t feel hungry today”.

All patients and relatives we spoke with said they felt patients were kept safe at Franklyn hospital. Patients spoke very positively of the individual care and support they received.

Franklyn Hospital is on the outskirts of Exeter. We inspected two wards at Franklyn Hospital which provide services to older people. Belvedere ward is a 16-bedded assessment unit for people living with dementia, and serves the community of Devon. Rougemont ward provides assessment and treatment for adults aged 65 and over with mental health difficulties who live in Exeter, Mid & East Devon.

We found many good areas of practice at Franklyn Hospital. The services provided a safe and secure place for people to stay, where staff cared for them in the least restrictive way. Although both wards we inspected had qualified nurse vacancies there were sufficient staff available to support people. Where people did not have mental capacity to make decisions, appropriate steps were taken to promote their rights through the use of best interest meetings and the involvement of carers.

People using services had multi-disciplinary assessments, which took account of their needs. People using the service and their carers where appropriate, were involved in discussions about treatment options available and decisions about ongoing care. People using services and their carers all told us the staff treated them with kindness and respect.

Staff told us that they had the training and support they needed for their roles. There was a positive and open culture within the staff team and good communication with staff from other services. Incidents were recorded and investigated appropriately and learning from incidents and complaints took place.

The hospital could improve the service for people by ensuring the arrangements to access physiotherapy and tissue viability is formally arranged. The hospital could also consider giving carers of people using the service on Belvedere ward access to further support.