Enter and View: Ward 19, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Healthwatch Greenwich undertook an unannounced enter and view visit to Ward 19 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in June 2025.  They spoke to 16 people.

Ward 19 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital is a 28-bed rehabilitation ward providing care for older adults, many of whom live with frailty or dementia. The ward specialises in older adult rehabilitation. Admissions typically occur from the Emergency Department or other hospital wards when the patient is medically fit for rehabilitation. When at full capacity, the ward can accommodate up to three additional patients in corridor beds. During our visits, one corridor bed was in use. 

Our observations point to a strong ward culture, underpinned by professional and emotionally intelligent staff who are deeply committed to their patients. This is recognised by patients and families, who describe the ward as calm, clean, and caring. However, the resilience of staff is tested by a range of pressures, particularly around discharge, staffing, and space.

What stands out from what patients and families told us is that many of the problems they experienced, such as poor communication, being cared for in corridors, delays in discharge, or lost personal items, reflect a system under pressure. Staff are caring for patients with increasingly complex needs, but they don’t always have adequate time, space, or support to do so.  

A key theme running through our findings is the importance of how staff communicate with and support patients and families. When this is done well, patients and families feel safer, more informed, and more involved in their care, or that of their loved one. But when staff are stretched or different parts of the system don’t work well together, especially around discharge, this can leave patients and families feeling confused, ignored, and distressed. From what we were told, difficulties in coordinating care between hospital teams and external services like social care continue to be a major challenge.

The use of corridor beds highlights another pressure. Although meant to be a short-term solution during busy periods, they are now being used more often, creating difficulties in keeping care dignified and respectful.  

Staff spoke with pride about teamwork and their deep commitment and responsibility to their patients. They also spoke about fatigue and of not always being able to give every patient the time, privacy, or attention they felt was needed. Their perspectives suggest the experience of care on Ward 19 reflects a wider set of tensions present across the NHS: between compassion and capacity, between demand and dignity, and between the principles of person-centred care and the practical realities of a strained system. Addressing these will require not only local adjustments but wider action to strengthen community care pathways, address hospital flow pressures, and investment in workforce support.