Enter and view: Care of the Elderly wards at Whipps Cross
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Healthwatch Redbridge undertook announced enter and view visits to the Sage, Syringa and Sycamore wards at Whipps Cross Hospital on 17 and 19 November 2025.
This report is in two parts. The first part reflects Healthwatch's Care of the Elderly ward visits, and the second part reflects the patient journey following hospital discharge. During part one, Healthwatch Redbridge carried out visits to Care of the Elderly wards at Whipps Cross Hospital. The visits aimed to understand patient, relative and carer experiences on these wards, following concerns raised through community outreach and the Whipps Cross Patient Panel.
They spoke to 28 people, finding that patients frequently described staff as kind and caring, and cleanliness standards were consistently rated highly. However, the visits also identified several areas requiring improvement, including hydration support, call bell access, communication, personal care, mobility, medication understanding and discharge planning. Two serious concerns were escalated immediately: rough handling during personal care and a call bell being silenced without engagement.
The Patient Experience Team responded promptly, initiating safeguarding processes, staff debriefs, reflective practice and comfort rounding. Additional actions included reinforcing hydration reviews and launching a Pyjama Paralysis pilot.
During part two, Healthwatch Redbridge conducted telephone interviews over a fourmonth period with two patients/family members to understand the strengths and limitations of the hospital discharge process and the challenges patients face as they transition into community and social care.
Both experiences were very different. One patient experienced a positive and speedy experience in the discharge lounge, but inconvenient post-discharge support and a lack of orthopaedic follow-up. The family of the other patient experienced repeated discharge delays, poor communication, a lack of care coordination and limited family involvement in key care decisions.