Enter and view: Ward C5 Royal Blackburn Hospital
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Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen conducted an Enter and View visit in January 2019. Ward C5 is a dementia friendly medical ward for older people. Questionnaires and observations were used to gather feedback from 12 patients, relatives and staff.
Ward C5 was found to be a friendly ward that had a calm and relaxed atmosphere despite being busy. The ward appeared to be well staffed with attentive and caring staff members. Patients and visitors who spoke to Healthwatch BwD representatives were positive about the ward environment and the care provided. Carers and relatives commented that they were only informed about the progress of their loved one if they asked and were unsure about discharge planning.
Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen’s recommendations included: Better communication of a patient’s progress between hospital staff and the carer or next of kin; review if the Welcome booklet is being distributed to patients and their carers; and Clearer communication about discharge planning with carers and close relatives especially those who provide day to day care.
The service provider responded positively to the report recommendations and have outlined that audits are underway to review the processes in the ward and address the issues raised in the report.