In summary, we found that people using the services at Horsham Hospital were telling us that their needs were being met and they were supported to improve their communication and independence skills by a skilled and well-trained staff team. They told us that every effort is made by the staff to help them maintain their independence and regain confidence to help them live independently when returning home. People we spoke to said they thought the hospital was being well managed and systems were in place to ensure that their needs were being identified and addressed. One relative told us that although she could not fault the care, she felt that patients would benefit from more physiotherapy and exercise activities to help them remain active during their stay in the hospital.

People were able to express their views on how the service is run and they were given opportunities to express their preferences especially regarding choices in daily living and what food they ate. We talked to many people during our visit and some said that although they were not always aware of the formal complaints processes, they did feel able to raise with staff any concerns that they had. One person told us that he did not have to complain as the staff were always checking that everything was alright.

Patients told us that they felt secure and safe in the hospital, with kind and attentive staff. They told us that they were always treated with dignity and respect and did not know of anyone that had been badly treated. People we spoke to told us that staff never hurried them and took time and trouble to help them with gaining confidence and doing things independently.

We saw many examples of thank you letters which had been received by staff from patients and relatives confirming that people and families who use this service felt supported by the staff to receive the care they need. People made particular reference to the efforts made by staff to help them maintain their mobility, independence and regain confidence to help them live independently when they are discharged. One person told us that the hospital had helped her do things for herself again and said “I cannot think of anything they could do better”.