Older patients can be reassured that West Middlesex University Hospital places a high priority on monitoring and improving the quality of their care on the wards.
The message comes after a report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)* last week highlighted the standards of care that older people receive in hospital.
The CQC carried out unannounced inspections of acute hospitals earlier this year which included speaking to patients about their experiences.
West Mid was one of the 45 hospitals found to be fully compliant, meeting the essential standards relating to both dignity and nutrition.
The hospital set up a monthly working group of senior nurses, a consultant and senior managers last year which meets to identify how care can be improved for older patients across the hospital.
Four full-time consultants specialising in the medical care of older people work closely with nurses and therapists in teams based on the specialist wards in the Marjory Warren Unit.
Dr John Platt, Consultant in Care of the Elderly, Stroke and General Medicine explains: “We are sensitive to the experience of older people in the hospital and we are always striving to provide better, more holistic care. We can never be complacent when considering care of this vulnerable group of people. We encourage all staff to respect older people as unique individuals. It is vital to try to learn about them as a person as well as assessing and treating their physical health.
“All of us specialising in older people’s health are enthusiastic about teaching and we hope to pass on best practice in the care of this group of patients to our medical students. Hospitals of the future will need to focus more on older people as this is their core activity. Right now about a third of our medical admissions are people aged over 80.”
This approach continues Marjory Warren CBE’s pioneering work with older patients at the hospital between 1926 and 1960. Dr Warren focused on their individual diagnosis, needs and treatment, enabling many older people to return home and regain a quality of life.
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Notes to Editors:
For further information, photos or to arrange an interview, please contact the communications team on 020 8321 6342.West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust is a major acute hospital near Twickenham, West London. It provides a full range of services to residents of the London Boroughs of Hounslow, and Richmond upon Thames. Our imperative is to meet the changing needs of our local community through genuine commitment to providing high quality care in every respect. For more information, please visit our website at www.west-middlesex-hospital.nhs.uk
*Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It ensures that care in hospitals, dental practices, ambulances, care homes, in people’s own homes, and elsewhere, meets government standards of quality and safety. http://www.cqc.org.uk/
All of the patients the CQC inspection team spoke with at West Mid said that they found the ward staff polite and respectful towards them and always willing to help. They all felt that their dignity was protected by staff and that their privacy was respected.
Most patients said they enjoyed the food and were happy with the range offered. People who needed special diets felt their needs had been met, and the inspectors found good practices for assisting patients who needed help with feeding.
*Marjory Warren CBE
Marjory Warren CBE came 18th in the 60 most influential people in the history of the NHS in a 2008 survey by the Health Service Journal. Dr Warren started working at West Middlesex as young assistant medical officer in 1926, rising to become Deputy Medical Director in 1931. In 1948 she became a Consultant and was awarded the CBE in 1959.
Finding herself responsible for some 714 ‘incurable’ patients in the hospital’s ‘chronic sick’ wards, she set about examining each patient, making an accurate diagnosis and assessing their individual needs. This allowed many of the patients to be discharged, while others were able to receive therapy and treatment that also allowed them to leave hospital rather than being left there to die.
Her work laid down the foundation for the modern speciality of geriatrics and changed the emphasis of care for older people from maintenance of the chronic sick to rehabilitation and enhancing their ability to live as normal a life as possible.
