Inspection raises concerns over Surrey hospital

Inspection raises concerns over Surrey hospital

By Liz Lockhart

Certain standards were affecting patients’ health and wellbeing at Tolworth Hospital a recent inspection found.  The hospital was told to improve its standards.

Inspectors looked at the Lilacs ward which is for inpatient mental health treatment, the Jasmines ward for adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour and the Fuschias ward for older people, many of whom have Alzheimer’s.

Moderate concerns were raised over the safety and maintenance of all three wards.  It was also concerned over the patients not being given the opportunity to influence or agree to their own treatment.  It also asked for more to be done to give people the food and drink they wanted.

Additional concerns were raised about the level of staff numbers in the Lilacs ward after patients noted that the staff were ‘chasing their tails’.

The South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust which runs the hospital said through a spokesman that the inspection had found patients were ‘broadly positive’ about care and treatment and no areas of major concern were found.

He said ‘The trust has developed an action plan in response to the report and is already working to address the issues highlighted.  These include the introduction of new inter=ward working to improve the assessment, review and recording of patients’ ability to consent to treatment.’ 

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