Enter and view: Countess of Chester Hospital, Ward 43

Healthwatch Cheshire West conducted an Enter and View visit to Ward 43, an female elderly acute medical ward, on 18 March 2014.

Our impression was of a busy, noisy ward, with barely enough space to accommodate the daily routine. The ward is undergoing a redecoration and the new bays look bright and welcoming and the toilet doors have new signage that is being rolled out across the hospital. These changes are the result of consultation with estate services, who, the visiting team were informed, has spent considerable time researching improvement in the dementia environment.

Staff were observed to be friendly and welcoming, although comments from patients reflected concerns about the workload on staff and the attitudes of one specific staff member.

The report made recommendations including: an increase in meeting space or storage space would be extremely welcome on the ward, a new spring on the entry/exit door would ensure that it closed properly; a mirror positioned opposite the entrance to the ward would allow the ward clerk to observe everyone entering and leaving the ward, thus improving security. (At the moment the ward clerk can’t see if the door is open or closed); improvements in prescribing could speed up the discharge process of the patients.

The report concludes that many of the problems on this ward will be solved when the new building on the site is completed - then decisions can be made as to where the ward will be located and more storage space and a better environment can be achieved. Whilst discharge times can be so lengthy, the report states, it would be beneficial to the patients to have a day room and an outside area to aid recovery.

There is no provider response included within this report.