• Hospital
  • NHS hospital

Archived: Heatherwood Hospital

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

London Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 8AA (01344) 623333

Provided and run by:
Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Important: This service is now managed by a different provider - see new profile
Important:

We have recommended Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust should be placed into special measures. Find out more.

All Inspections

13 and 20 February 2014

During a routine inspection

Heatherwood Hospital is an acute location run by Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital provides the following services: medical rehabilitation, orthopaedic elective surgery, short stay surgery, minor injuries unit, theatres and outpatients departments. There is no Accident and Emergency at this site.

We inspected the following regulated activities for which the hospital is registered: treatment of disease, disorder or injury, diagnostics and screening, and surgical procedures.

Patient needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered to meet those needs. Patients were communicated with and felt involved in their care and in decision making. All feedback received from patients was positive; this applied across the multidisciplinary team. Patients were provided with appropriate information at all stages of their care and treatment.

Although patients received safe care and were protected from risks, incidents were not always reported appropriately and there was some evidence that the learning from incidents needed to improve (for example in relation to falls). In addition, the trusts own audits found that the World Health Organisation checklist was not being completed robustly at this site. Hospital areas visited were clean, and staffing levels were maintained for the majority of shifts.

Patient care and treatment were planned and delivered in line with legislation and best practice. Patient records were kept up to date and were updated in a timely manner. Audits were undertaken to monitor care and outcomes, and, where required, action plans were implemented to improve care. Appropriate equipment was not always available to reduce the risk of harm (for example to prevent falls). This is a breach of Regulation 10 regarding the safety and suitability of premises. There were systems in place to ensure that staff had undertaken mandatory training, but not all staff had received an annual appraisal.

All wards and departments at Heatherwood Hospital were managed as part of the three divisional structures based at Wexham Park Hospital. Governance arrangements and support from senior staff were communicated via the lead nurses for the relevant division, who ensured that reporting and feedback for Heatherwood Hospital wards and departments were fed into the relevant committees.

During our inspection, it was confirmed that the minor injuries unit and ward 8 were due to close in the near future. The plan was for the services provided by the unit and ward 8 to continue but to be provided by other providers and within the community. This situation had an impact on staff working in the affected areas, although they all continued to be committed to the delivery of high standards of care in the interim.

During our inspection, we spoke with patients and their relatives and to members of the public who shared their experience with us at a listening event the week prior to the inspection. We spoke with 10 patients and 15 members of staff.

Staffing

Some wards and departments we visited had staff vacancies. These were covered by either bank or agency staff to ensure patient safety and that the needs of patients were met. There were some occasions when the required number of staff was not available for a shift; this could have an impact on patient safety. Wards and departments at Heatherwood Hospital were supported by on-site medical staff and a range of allied health professionals. These staff members were based on the wards and worked as a cohesive team with the nursing staff. All staff we spoke with felt that joint working with the multidisciplinary team ensured positive outcomes for patients.

Cleanliness and infection control

All the areas of the hospital that we visited were clean and free from clutter. Alcohol hand disinfectant was available on entry to wards and departments, at the patients’ bedsides and in other key points, enabling good access for staff and visitors. However, this was not the case in the outpatient departments. We noted that audits of staff compliance with hand hygiene were between 89% and 100% in surgical areas. The areas we visited displayed the results of cleaning audits, which were above 90%.

7 May 2013

During an inspection in response to concerns

We inspected Heatherwood Hospital as part of a responsive review of Heatherwood and Wexham Park NHS Foundation Trust. During our inspection, we visited Ward 4 (an elective orthopaedic ward) and Ward 8 (a stroke and medical rehabilitation ward); we spoke with 13 patients; and interviewed 10 members of staff including nurses and matrons.

Patients were very complimentary about the care they received at Heatherwood Hospital. They told us they felt involved in making decisions about their treatment and care and staff treated them with respect. We found patient care and treatment reflected relevant published research and guidance, including guidance issued by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

There were systems in place to control and prevent the spread of infection. The facilities we saw were clean and cleaning schedules were used to inform the standard of cleanliness. Risks were identified, assessed, and reviewed to ensure patient safety. While some of the patient documentation we saw showed adequate record keeping, we found some patient records which were not regularly updated and some care plans which were not sufficiently detailed to enable staff to deliver the care required.

26 October 2011

During an inspection looking at part of the service

During our discussions with patients we received favourable comments related to the provision of care and support from staff. People indicated to us that they felt informed about their care and treatment and that they were treated as individuals. Positive comments were made about staff, their kindness, respecting privacy and dignity. We were told that staff were prompt in their response to call bells when assistance was required.

29 June 2011

During an inspection in response to concerns

During our visit to Heatherwood Hospital we spoke to patients on two of the wards, including ward 8, rehabilitation and ward 4, orthopaedics.

We were provided with mainly positive feedback about their experiences at the hospital, including complementary comments about staff. We were told by a patient that, 'Nothing is too much trouble.' Another patient said, 'Staff are prepared to give good care to all the patients.'

There were variations in the level of delivery of care that reflected individual preferences and choices expressed by patients. One patient indicated that he had at times felt rushed and that there was a degree of nursing impatience. However, overall, the patients were happy about the care delivered and they felt encouraged, safe and supported.

11 November 2010

During an inspection in response to concerns

People who use the services told us that information has been provided by the trust to advise them as to how to raise a concern regarding the service or a complaint. Information about the complaints procedure is available in a leaflet, and posters had been noticed on display in some areas to provide advice as to the complaints process. Access to a patient advice service for additional guidance and support was also available.

People using the services advised that they had been involved in decisions regarding their care and treatment, and if they had any concerns regarding aspects of care or treatment that they would raise this with a member of staff. We were told that there are sometimes delays in the outpatient clinics, because of high activity.

Staff told us that there is information and guidance to enable them to manage potential risks to their colleagues and patients. Staff knew how to report issues of concern regarding standards of care and treatment, and adverse events, such as medication errors or patient falls. We were advised by staff, that there were processes in place to ensure concerns would be recorded and investigated; and that where required actions would be taken to minimise further risk.

Patient questionnaires have been used by the trust to assess the quality of service provided to users of the service. Information about the trusts expected standards and performance against these targets is communicated to departments and discussed by line managers with staff.