Enter and view: Ward 2A, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
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Healthwatch Gloucestershire undertook an enter and view visit to Ward 2A at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on 5 February 2026. They spoke to 23 people.
Overall, the patients gave positive feedback about staff on the ward regarding communication and encouraging them to do as much as they could for themselves. •
They heard mixed feedback about food quality but generally people felt they had choice. One person said that her preferences were rarely met.
The relative Healthwatch spoke to was positive about the care being provided to their loved one, however as they are not local, they had been unsure how to establish communication with the ward and found it difficult to obtain information about what was happening over the phone.
Therapy boards were often not completed which would have been beneficial for people with communication needs.
Healthwatch found low awareness of Martha's Rule/Call for Concern amongst patients.
Staff reported feeling supported and enjoying their jobs, but some described pressures through short staffing/ sickness and not always being able to give all patients the time they would want to.
Use of the Clinical Governance Board was very positive, demonstrating a continuous learning and improvement culture.
There is a lack of clarity regarding the information placed on walls - what is the purpose and who is it intended for. Although Healthwatch heard that the information provided is in part determined by the ward itself, we also heard that patients move between wards so they may benefit from some consistency in places e.g. staff photos.
Healthwatch noticed clocks on the wards but nothing detailing the day and date.
A key issue arising from staff and patients was discharge - it can be difficult to draw doctors away from other specialties to come onto the ward to assess patients so they can move on. There are also issues with bed space in community hospitals, care homes and home care packages. Decisions about discharge are made outside of the ward but it is the responsibility of the ward to manage patients’ and relatives' expectations.