Archived: Braintree Community Hospital Ward

Updated 17 April 2014

Braintree Community Hospital opened in 2010 after consultation with local GPs and the public for health services closer to where they lived. Braintree Community Hospital ward (Courtauld ward) is a 24 bedded facility; with 16 single rooms and two four bedded bays. There are an additional four day-treatment beds within the site of Braintree Community Hospital. This inpatient service provides rehabilitation and end of life care for adults. It also offers day case admission for patients undergoing blood and medication transfusions. The £16.5m building is one of the first community hospitals to bring together public and private healthcare providers to deliver free NHS services.

These services are managed by Braintree Clinical Services Ltd, owned by Serco, who sub-contract services to Prime Diagnostics Ltd and Central Essex Community Services C.I.C. on behalf of the NHS. Central Essex Community Services C.I.C. run a number of clinics from this hospital, including:

• Adult Speech and Language Clinics
• Community Cardiac  Services
• Community Dermatology
• Community Hospital Wards
• Integrated Orthopaedic Service
• Minor Operations (vasectomies / carpal tunnel and minor skin surgery injuries)
• Outpatient Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Podiatry
• Rapid Assessment Unit
• Podiatric Day Surgery

Updated 17 April 2014

Braintree Community Hospital ward (Courtauld ward) is a 24 bedded facility with an additional four day-treatment beds within the site of Braintree Community Hospital. This inpatient service provides rehabilitation and end of life care for adults. It also offers day case admission for patients undergoing blood and medication transfusions.

We chose to inspect Braintree Community Hospital Ward as part of the first pilot phase of the new inspection process we are introducing for community health services. Braintree Community Hospital Ward was last inspected in April 2013 when we found it to be meeting the five standards we reviewed.

In general, we found that Braintree Community Hospital ward provided safe care. People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Whilst mechanisms were in place to monitor, report and learn from safety incidents, there were inconsistencies in staff practice, resulting in under-reporting.  The staff skill mix was inadequate with a high use of agency staff.

Staff said that they had good training and development opportunities although clinical supervision arrangements were not as robust.  Staff spoke with passion about their work and demonstrated commitment to provide the best care they could.

Patients and their families were central to making decisions about their care and the support they needed. The majority of patients and their relatives were positive about the care and treatment they had received, and we saw some good examples of staff delivering compassionate care to patients and their families.

Although most staff felt very well supported by their managers, we had concerns in regards to the quality of ward leadership and clinical supervision arrangements were not robust.

Updated 17 April 2014

Mechanisms were in place to monitor, report and learn from safety incidents. However, there were inconsistencies in staff practice in regards to the practical application of these systems, resulting in under-reporting.  Staff skill mix, including the ratio between substantive and agency staff, was inadequate with a high number of agency nurses being employed.

Inpatient services at Braintree Community Hospital ward were effective and focussed on the needs of patients. We saw examples of effective collaborative working practices; however, the arrangements in place in regards to clinical supervision were not robust.

The majority of people said that they had positive experiences of care. We saw good examples of care being provided with compassion and of effective interactions between staff and patients. We found staff to be hard working, caring and committed. We noted many staff spoke with passion about their work and were proud of what they did.

Braintree Community Hospital ward was responsive to people’s needs. We found the organisation actively sought the views of patients and families. People from all communities could access services and effective multidisciplinary team working, including inpatient and community teams, ensured people were provided with care that met their needs, at the right time.

Ward leadership was inconsistent and there was an absence of visible senior management support. There were organisational, governance and risk management structures in place. Staff were aware of the vision and way forward for the organisation and said that they generally felt well supported and that they could raise any concerns.