Northampton General Hospital

The service generally had enough nursing and support staff to keep patients safe. However, the layout of the environment and number of bays/side rooms meant it was sometimes challenging for staff to maintain line of sight of patients who were at risk of falling and to implement falls prevention measures. We received conflicting information about the number of healthcare assistants required as part of planned daily numbers. We saw there were sufficient staff to respond to patients’ needs, conduct regular checks of patients, and quickly responded to call bells. There were systems and processes to assess, plan and review staffing levels, including staff skill mix. All staff had a good oversight of their patients and those who were at risk of falling. Staff knew how to assess patients who were at risk. Staff completed and updated risk assessments for each patient including a multifactorial falls risk assessment. However, compliance with assessment processes for patients who required a more enhanced level of supervision was variable. Safe bedrail usage risk assessments were routinely completed on admission to the ward and regularly reviewed, however care plans were not always updated accurately to reflect the changing needs of patients.