Healthwatch find a positive environment with “passionate and deeply committed staff” during visit to St Andrew's

Staff at St Andrew’s Healthcare have been found to be passionate and deeply committed to their work after an inspection was carried out earlier in the year.

Healthwatch - the independent champion for health and social care - works to help people get the best out of their local health and social care services and ensure that people are at the heart of care. The Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire branch recently partnered with the East Midlands Provider Collaborative for Adult Secure Care, known as IMPACT, to carry out multiple Enter and View visits at St Andrew's in Northampton. 

The purpose of the Healthwatch visit was to visit a variety of mental health inpatient wards within St Andrew’s to gather an in-depth look at the different services, as well as gather the experiences of patients, families, carers and staff. 

Healthwatch staff and volunteers visited six wards, including men's and women’s low and medium secure, as well as speciality services for learning disabilities and autism (LDA) and Deaf services.

Some of the key findings discovered include:

• Staff are passionate and deeply committed to their work

• The provision of services and modifications on the wards for those with disabilities is well delivered

• Activities on and off the ward positively influence patients' treatment and progress however, staff shortages limit the availability of activities

St Andrew’s Healthcare’s CEO Dr Vivienne McVey said: “We are pleased that Healthwatch and IMPACT have reported positively about our dedicated and passionate members of staff. “We are a 24-hour operation, and our colleagues are committed to ensuring the very best care for everyone within our hospitals. The people in our care are able to engage in a variety of meaningful activities – physical, social and leisure pursuits – which is having a positive influence on patients’ treatment and progress.

“We are committed to continuous improvement, and as a Charity we are focussed on helping people to transform their lives and we are glad Healthwatch recognised this.”

The report details the findings discovered from the visits, staff, patient, family and carer feedback as well as Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire’s recommendations to St Andrew’s Healthcare. 

The report can be accessed here.