Enter and view: Foxglove, Jasmine and Japonica Wards at King George Hospital

Healthwatch Havering gather information on people’s experiences of health and social care services and there are times when it is appropriate for Healthwatch Havering to see and hear for themselves how services are being delivered: these visits are called ‘Enter and View’, they are not inspections.

Healthwatch Havering visited Foxglove, Jasmine and Japonica Wards at King George Hospital on 10 May 2016.

The key findings highlighted areas in relation to patient feedback, staff feedback and observation.

Foxglove ward

It was clarified that 17 beds for stroke patients remained at Grays Court in Dagenham at the time of the visit. A consultation by the CCGs on moving these beds to KGH had been undertaken. The consultation closed on 1 April and the outcome was awaited.

Foxglove ward had 4-bed bays as well as side rooms and efforts were made to have separate male and female bays. All patients on the ward were receiving intermediate care, funded by the local CCGs and provided by NELFT.

The average length of stay on the unit was around 19 days compared to a target of 21 days. There was currently a 94% occupancy rate. Some patients were able to go straight home from acute beds with support and hence would not need intermediate care.

The ward had open visiting times although meal times were protected other than for relatives who assisted patients with feeding etc. Each patient had their own care plan and families were involved as much as possible.

Home visits were usually carried out prior to discharge in order to assess patients’ home environment. The patient’s GP received a copy of the patient’s discharge letter. It was also confirmed that most boroughs took back equipment or mobility aids etc if they were no longer needed.

Japonica ward

The ward had a large dining/day room for patients which included a reminiscence pod. A number of activities were planned for dementia awareness week. The ward had dementia friendly signs and a bright colour scheme. Information on the butterfly scheme for patients with dementia was available on both wards.

Between 52 and 57 beds are available for rehabilitation, with an additional four beds located on Jasmine ward during times of surge within the system. Incidents of falls and pressure ulcers were logged and information about them was displayed on the wards.

There was a named nurse for each bed on the ward and details of ward processes were also on display. Large shower rooms were available on the ward.

Jasmine ward

The intermediate care beds on this ward were treated as one ward with Japonica. There was a sensory room available which acted as a quiet area for patients. A therapy area/gym was available on the ward as was a kitchen area which could be used for therapy and assessment of patients’ motor skills etc.

Office space for the enhanced mental health liaison team was under construction in this area and these facilities would also be used for training.

Patients could also access the hospital garden and so had access to an outside space. Forms for the friends & family test were available on the ward and photographs identifying all ward staff were also on display.