Themes from visits to hospital wards at UHCW

Healthwatch Coventry report on the key themes in the announced enter and view visits they undertook to wards at University Hospital Coventry.  They spoke to 67 patients and relatives and 13 staff.

Food and drink

Patients weren't always supported at mealtimes to eat properly.  Different processes for ordering food were in place on different wards.  Patients with dietary needs reported a lack of choice or monotonous meals e.g. for those who were vegetarian and gluten free. There were some issues with hygiene standards at mealtimes such as problems with hand hygiene and wearing the appropriate PPE.

Patient care

Healthwatch came across examples where the privacy and dignity of patients was not maintained.

Supporting patients with communication support needs

Patients with communication support needs such as hearing or visual impairment, translation needs or learning disability should be supported to be involved in their care. Staff were often able to describe support available to help them with communication, but not all staff were clear. Feedback from patients and relatives showed that some patients were not benefiting from communication support.

Communication with patients' families/loved ones

Some relatives were finding it harder to get information about their relative’s care or discharge than others. Relatives expressed frustrations about contacting wards by phone: calls not being answered and about getting updates from staff who had access to the right information.

Preparation for discharge from hospital

Communication and preparing people for discharge was an area highlighted as a challenge, patients said they did not feel informed.

The report includes nine cross cutting recommendations to UHCW about nursing care, food and nutrition, communication with patients, communication and involvement of family and discharge planning and communication.