Visits to Wakefield Intermediate Care Unit
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Healthwatch Wakefield visited the Wakefield Intermediate Care Unit during the period March to May 2017 to understand how patients viewed the service. They spoke to 57 people.
Healthwatch Wakefield has visited WICU / Queen Elizabeth House on several occasions in the last four years following concerns raised by members of the public. In comparison to their first visit, they have seen a definite improvement in the environment, quality of care and quality of treatment at this unit.
On the whole the people resident at WICU and their carers had many good things to say. They felt well cared for and they spoke highly of the support and therapy that they were receiving. They said that staff were friendly and kind and that there was a good atmosphere. The food and the cleanliness of the unit were also praised.
Where complaints or concerns were heard, they were predominantly around toileting issues, with buzzers not being responded to quickly, being out of reach or broken. Healthwatch were told that this had led on occasions to people wetting themselves or being left on toilets for long periods of time.
Some people reported feeling bored or under-stimulated and that the regime of the unit meant that they couldn’t necessarily be as independent as they wanted to be.
The unit itself appeared fresh and clean, with some rooms recently having been refurbished.
Although the focus of the visits was not on staff, many nevertheless were happy to talk to us and tell us about improvements that they felt made WICU a good place to work. It was also good to see volunteers engaging in activities with patients.