We made an unannounced visit to Whitstable and Tankerton - Friends Ward to check on two compliance actions we made at our last inspection. One of these involved parts of the care that was provided to support patients dine in safety and comfort. The other one involved the reliability of the systems used by staff to administer and record the use of patients' medication. We found that both of the compliance actions had been met.

We saw that staff spoke to patients with kindness and patience. Patients said that that they were satisfied with the health and social care they received. They considered staff to be kind and helpful and they felt safe. One patient said, “I’ve been very impressed with the staff who are all very kind and genuinely caring people. They’ll do little extra things for you and I know my family have been grateful for how the ward has contacted them to let them know how I am.”

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 health and personal care they needed and that they were comfortable on the ward.

One patient said, ‘Overall, I’ve been impressed with the care I’ve had on the ward. The staff are friendly and helpful and I’ve seen the doctor about my treatment. I’d rather not be in hospital but now I’m here I’m confident that I’ll get good medical care.‘