At our last inspection on 17 June 2014 we found concerns relating to processes to ensure that vulnerable people were safeguarded from abuse. We judged that this had a minor impact on the patients in the hospital. We asked the provider to take action. They provided us with an action plan dated 24 July 2014, stating that they would be compliant by 16 September 2014.

We carried out an inspection on 06 November 2014 and found improvements had been made, for example staff training and awareness of the trust's safeguarding procedures.

We inspected Potters Bar Community Hospital on 17 June 2014 because we had received a number of concerns regarding poor care of inpatients, including inadequate management of people who were at risk of developing pressure ulcers.

When we inspected the hospital we found no evidence of poor quality care.

People were assessed and care and treatment was planned in accordance with their needs. One person said, "The staff have been very polite and helpful." Another told us, “It’s excellent here. Everyone is so kind.”

We saw from the training records that most staff had attended safeguarding adults from abuse training within the last year. However, when we spoke with staff about abuse, most were unsure of how to escalate any concerns above their line manager.

Although the hospital did not have a pharmacy department, a pharmacist visited weekly. We found that medicines were stored, administered, recorded and reconciled correctly.

Staff confirmed that the in-patient unit was staffed appropriately. We noticed that call bells were answered promptly. People we spoke with told us staff were attentive and nearly always had time to talk. One told us, “I don’t have many visitors and it's lovely that the nurses chat to me about their families.”

Staff at the hospital were supported to provide effective care and treatment through induction, appraisal of their performance and training.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.

When we spoke to people about the food provided they were, in general very positive and stated that there was a good choice and it was of a high standard. The food was said to be served at the appropriate temperature and the portions were the right size. Where people had any reservations about the food, they nonetheless said it was hot and well presented. People told us that they are able to choose where they eat their meals, either in their own room or the dining room.

All of the people we spoke to confirmed that they had plenty of drinks available and we were able to confirm this in observation not only in the dining room but also when we spoke to people in their own rooms. Drinks were varied, available in appropriate cups or glasses and were placed within reach.

All of those people we spoke to about things like cleanliness, heating and the provision of hot water told us that these were very satisfactory.

When people who use Potters Bar Community Hospital commented about staffing they invariably made a distinction between the quality of nursing and care staff and the quality of the care they experienced on the one hand and the staffing levels or numbers on the other.

We received many very positive comments about the standard of care received and the way that nursing and care staff worked hard to help them.

However, almost without exception, the people who use Potters Bar Community Hospital that we spoke to made some reference to shortages of staff or the pressure that they feel staff are under at times. We were told that they felt that sometimes staff were 'harassed' and we were told that on occasion the care experience had been adversely affected by staff shortages, for example we were told of times when they had experienced problems because call bells were not always answered promptly when they needed to go to the toilet and that on one occasion their tablets were given out late.