Enter and view: Bicester Community Hospital Inpatient Ward

IHealthwatch Oxfordshire undertook an enter and view visit of Bicester Community Hospital on 14 November 2023 as part of a number of visits to a range of services within Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.  Bicester Community Hospital provides rehabilitation services for mainly elderly patients who are admitted to the hospital. These rehabilitation services aim to support the recovery and well-being of patients through specialised care and therapies. Rehabilitation services can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and other interventions tailored to the individual needs of the patients.

During their visit, they spoke to 4 patients and 9 members of staff.

The hospital was very welcoming; there is a welcome sign at the main entrance. The hospital is clean and had a very calm and quiet atmosphere. Face masks and hand gel are available at the main entrance before passing to the units. The Inpatient Ward has 12 beds, 10 rooms are single rooms which were well equipped with bathroom attached. There is also a big day room which patients can use with a TV and reading books available. There were two bays each with two beds in, these were same sex bays.  There was a reception desk with admin staff to help and guide the visitors and patients. 

Comments from patients about the environment, efficiency of services, and attitudes of staff were generally very positive. 

There is a clean kitchen not in use for cooking food. Food provided to patients comes from an external contractor with limited choices. Patients indicated the food was ‘okay’. 

There was no information on display offering patients access to an interpreter, and no translated materials were visible during our visit. Healthwatch didn’t see a hearing loop at the reception or in the ward. 

There was no clear information on how to give comments and feedback, and no feedback or suggestion box was available for visitors, despite the availability of patient’s experiences displayed and an ‘I WANT GREAT CARE’ noticeboard. 

The presence of stickers on the windows of the rooms is impacting the natural light in the patients room. Direct access to the garden is a desirable feature, as it can provide a pleasant view and potentially improve the overall well-being of the patients. However, the stickers on the windows are likely obstructing the amount of natural light that enters the room. 

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report is not displayed. 

Patients said the staff were friendly and they felt able to raise concerns with the staff team about their treatment and care directly as an important aspect of patient-centred care. 

There was limited storage available, with the physiotherapy room being used to store aids, meaning that staff had to move the aids each time the room was in use. The quiet room was also being used to store additional equipment. The day room had broken chairs in it with a sign on indicating this. 

It was easy and clear to follow the signage from the car park to the hospital main reception. 

The report contains nine recommendations about information, gathering feedback, food, storage, hearing loops and repairs.