As part of this inspection we visited the dental service. On this occasion we did not visit the rehabilitation ward or the day surgery unit as we had already inspected these services in January and April this year; where we found the essential standards of quality and safety were being met.

On the day of our inspection we spoke with the Clinical Director of Locala dental services and the senior dental nurse. We were unable to speak with people who used the service however; we reviewed the outcome of the Locala customer care, dental survey which had been completed in December 2012. The survey showed that people were treated well and the staff were pleasant and helpful.

Before people received any care or treatment, they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes.

The procedures for care and treatment were carried out in line with up to date published research and good practice guidelines such as those from 'The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).'

The environment was clean and procedures were in place to show staff had recorded checks on the cleanliness of the environment.

The provider took account of complaints and comments to improve the service. People who used the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on.

We decided to visit the home between 6pm and 11pm to gain a wider view of the service provided. This was part of an out of normal hour’s pilot project being undertaken in the North East region.

At the time of our inspection we talked with three people who used the service, and three staff.

Comments from people who used the service about the care they received included:

“All the staff are good. When I am down they have time to talk to me. I have no concerns.”

“The staff look after you very well indeed. Whenever you ask for assistance, it only takes a minute or two, and they are there. If the staff are busy, they will tell you how long before they will be with you.”

“We get a lot of good physiotherapy and help.”

We spoke with four people on the Maple Ward during our inspection. They all told us they received relevant information before the start of any treatment and said the staff treated them with respect. One person said, “Respect my privacy and dignity, yes I would say so.”

We looked at three people’s care records on the ward and found that although their care needs were assessed, when concerns had been identified relating to people’s psychological needs, there was no evidence showing how those needs had been addressed.

People told us they had been well looked after during their stay. Comments included,

“I can’t grumble. The staff are very good and have a lot of patience.”

“I have nothing to complain about. They (the staff) keep popping in to see that I am aright. They all look after me. There is plenty of staff about, they are busy but there is always someone there when I need them.”

People told us they felt safe with the care and treatment they received and they had no concerns.

Although we did not speak with anyone on the Day Surgery Unit we did look at their returned customer satisfaction surveys. Patient’s comments included,

“Information, - could not have asked for more.”

“Attention and treatment were exceptional and everyone was so very friendly.”

“Everyone was very helpful and reassuring.”

We did not attempt to speak with people who use the service because the compliance action set at the last inspection was in relation to the incompletion of records and not care practises. However a visiting relative told us that their relative was receiving excellent care and the staff were doing everything they could to support them both and this included the arrangements for going home.

As part of this inspection we visited the Day Surgery Unit and Maple Ward which is a Medical Rehabilitation Ward, mainly for older people.

Patients we spoke with were generally positive about their experiences and complimented both the services and staff at the hospital.

Patients said:

“The service is good; excellent in fact.”

“All the staff seem to know what they are doing.”

“The staff are very nice, they treat me with respect.”