Enter and view: Queen's Hospital (Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust)
Download (PDF 804.41 KB)Summary of report content
In October 2017, Healthwatch Havering conducted an Enter and View visit to Queen’s Hospital in Romford. The visit was prompted by feedback from service users about the adequacy of dietary arrangements within local healthcare establishments.
Two visits took place; one announced and one unannounced. The Enter and View team visited four wards within the hospital and made observations during lunchtime. The report addresses the following key areas: nutritional standards, ordering system, menu, choice, efficiency of food being served, cleanliness and hygiene, quality of food, special dietary needs such as Halal and coeliac provision, protected mealtimes, food storage, dining equipment, hydration and portion size. The team also observed interactions between staff and patients.
The report notes many positive observations and evidence of improvements between the first and second visit. However, recommendations were made in the following areas: staff training in infection control, teamwork between staff, consistency in approaches to mealtimes, opportunity for patients to make informed choices, better nutrition and hydration to help patients’ recovery.
Queen’s Hospital provided a detail response to the report and its recommendations, addressing each recommendation and stating actions to be taken to make improvements.