Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital

Updated 27 January 2023

Nuffield Health Wessex Hospital is operated by Nuffield Health. The hospital opened in 1977. It is a private hospital in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire. The hospital primarily serves the communities of Hampshire. It also accepts patient referrals from outside this area. The hospital provides surgery, medical care and outpatients and diagnostic imaging.

The hospital is an Elective surgical hospital site with 52 registered beds, 4 theatres- 3 of which are laminar floor, orthopaedic and spinal theatres, one is digital laparoscopy gynae theatre.

There are 12 outpatient consulting rooms currently, in the final commissioning stage for another 5. The hospital has 283 staff working across FWO through bank, majority being contracted.

222 consultants with practicing privileges, 160 of them work on a regular basis at the hospital. All patients are pre-assessed, all general anaesthetic patients are pre- assessed face to face and anybody requiring sedation or local has telephone pre assessment.

The hospital provides elective surgery to patients who pay for themselves, are insured, or are NHS patients. Surgical specialities offered include orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery, gynaecology, cosmetic surgery, urology, maxilla-facial and endoscopy.

Updated 27 January 2023

Our rating of this service stayed the same. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• However, there was one record which contained the wrong person’s name. This was brought to the attention of senior managers during the inspection.
• Oxygen was not always prescribed in line with guidance.
• There was inconsistent recording of NEWS.
• The clean utility room was unlocked with keys left on the cupboard.

Updated 20 November 2018

Medical care services were a small proportion of hospital activity. We rated medical care services as good overall because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. 

Updated 21 March 2016

We found outpatients and diagnostic imaging services ‘Good’ for safe, caring, responsive and well led. We do not currently rate effective for this service.

Staff had a good understanding of how to report incidents and learning from incidents was shared at a departmental level. Staff undertook appropriate mandatory training for their role and were supported to keep this up-to-date. Clinical areas and waiting rooms were all visibly clean and tidy. Appropriate equipment was available for patient procedures and tests. Equipment was well maintained and tested annually or in accordance with manufacturers guidelines. Infection prevention and control practices were followed and these were regularly monitored, to prevent the unnecessary spread of infections. Medicines were stored securely. Staffing levels and the skill mix of staff was appropriate for both the outpatient department and diagnostic imaging. Nursing staff felt that the outpatient department staffing was sometimes low due to staff covering pre-assessment clinics. Agency staff were not used, however long-standing bank staff were occasionally employed to cover additional sessions. Patient records were available prior to a patient being seen. Staff received training, to ensure they could appropriately respond if a patient became unwell.

National guidelines were used, however, there was limited evidence that clinical audits were being undertaken in all outpatient areas, including recording of patient reported outcomes.

Staff were supported in their role through appraisals. All staff were appraised. Staff were encouraged to participate in training and development to enable them to deliver good quality care.

There was evidence of multidisciplinary team working in the one stop breast clinic. The consent process for patients was well structured and staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Patients pain needs were met appropriately during a procedure or investigation. Clinics were held mainly during the week and evenings, with some Saturday clinics.

During the inspection we observed and were told by patients that staff in the outpatient department and within diagnostic imaging were caring and compassionate. Patients and relatives commented positively about the care provided from nursing, radiography and medical staff. They were treated courteously and respectfully. Patient privacy and dignity was maintained. Patients were kept up to date with and involved in discussing and planning their care and treatment. They were able to make informed decisions about the treatment they received. Staff listened and responded to patients’ questions positively. Emotional support was provided to patients. They commented they had been well supported emotionally by staff.

Services were planned and delivered in ways which met the needs of the local population. Clinics were generally held on weekdays and evenings with alternate Saturday clinics to accommodate patients who had commitments during the week. Patients told us there was good access to appointments and at times which suited their needs. To accommodate a patient who was too unwell to travel, the outpatient department facilitated treatment off site.

The gynaecology treatment suite was separate to the main outpatient facility which ensured patients had access to a private and comfortable treatment area. There was information on specific procedures or conditions, but this information was only in English and not in other languages or formats, such as braille or easy read. In diagnostic imaging the information leaflets were in very small print.

Interpretation services were available. However information about the interpretation service was not clearly displayed in patient waiting areas. Staff made reasonable adjustments to accommodate patients with dementia or living with a learning disability. Patients were encouraged to provide feedback after their outpatient appointment by completing a patient satisfaction survey. The results of these were displayed in waiting areas.

The Outpatient and diagnostic imaging departments were well-led. The department had a vision to provide high quality care in a timely and effective way. Staff and managers were aware of this vision. Staff felt supported, and were able to develop to improve their practice. There was an open and supportive culture.

Patients were given opportunities to provide feedback about their experiences and this was used to improve the service. Staff in all outpatient areas stated they were well supported by their immediate line managers. All staff during inspection spoke very highly of their senior management team, stating that they provided a visible and strong leadership within the hospital.

An improvement plan has been put in place following national concerns, to ensure that radiologists are able to use all imaging equipment. 

Updated 27 January 2023