Enter and view: Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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

Healthwatch Shropshire visited Sheldon Ward, Orthopaedic and District Hospital, on the 13/02/2014.

The summary of findings highlighted areas in relation to patient feedback, staff feedback and observation. These findings informed that the Healthwatch Shropshire team were in agreement that Sheldon Ward appeared to be a well-run environment where patient care was of a consistently high standard and where the dignity of patients was consistently respected. Healthwatch Shropshire saw and heard plenty of evidence that patients on Sheldon Ward are treated with respect for their individuality and dignity by ward staff, and no evidence that they are not. This was nicely illustrated by two comments on the ‘digni-tea party’ board: “Follow the code you are already doing on this ward!” and “Good staff understanding”. The built environment has some disadvantages for both patients and staff, resulting in the men’s half of the ward being busier and noisier, and a potential lack of privacy for confidential conversations. There were indications that staff were sometimes busy to the point of being overstretched. At least one relative felt that this had impacted to some extent on the patients’ care as staff did not have time to accompany the patient when necessary.

The recommendations within the report state that this ward continues to provide the high standard of care with respect for people’s dignity that we observed and heard about on this visit. We recommend that the clocks on the ward are synchronised.