Enter and view: Kingston Hospital Emergency Department

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

Healthwatch Richmond visited Kingston Hospital Emergency Department on June 2018.

The key findings highlighted areas in relation to patient feedback, staff feedback and observation. Patients were generally happy with the service provided by the Emergency Department. Considering the busyness of the department throughout our visits and the number of people that Healthwatch Richmond spoke to, they received relatively few complaints or suggestions for improvements. Despite the lengthy delays that patients could face, the department appeared to be well run and working hard to meet the ever increasing demands that it is under. Healthwatch Richmond were encouraged by the large number of positive comments that people made about staff in the department. Staff were clearly working hard to provide thoughtful and professional care to their patients. Healthwatch Richmond were impressed with the overall cleanliness and appearance of the department. The recently completed renovations are deserving of particular credit, especially the new section of Majors and the additional bays in Resus. Healthwatch Richmond did however have some concerns regarding the consistency of food and drink provision to patients facing lengthy stays in Majors. Healthwatch Richmond also encountered a few issues around the provision of personal care, although there was no evidence to suggest that these were recurrent in nature. Our visits highlighted that staff were not always clearly communicating to patients what was going to happen next, especially after triage. Alongside this, there was definite scope for widening the array of information resources available to patients, as well as improving the interim signage on display at the main entrance and reception. Healthwatch Richmond visits also underlined the difficulties faced by patients with mental health conditions who have to wait for a long time before being assessed. Overall, Healthwatch Richmond were impressed with the service being provided and recognise the efforts that the Hospital are making to improve the facilities and care being delivered.