Nuffield Health Chichester Hospital

Updated 15 December 2021

Nuffield Health Chichester Hospital provides elective surgery to patients who pay for themselves, are insured, or are NHS funded patients. Surgical specialities offered include orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery, gynaecology, urology and head and neck. Nuffield Health Chichester Hospital does not offer surgical services for children.

There are two theatres, both with laminar flow (a system of circulating filtered air to reduce the risk of airborne contamination). There is a dedicated recovery ward located within the main theatre unit.

Both inpatient and day care patients recover from surgery on Pallant ward and patients who have not undergone a general anaesthetic are admitted and discharged from Northgate ward. Both wards have single bedrooms, with en-suite bathroom facilities.

Nuffield Health Chichester Hospital provides outpatient appointments for a number of specialities. Outpatient appointments are delivered by consultants who also have practicing privileges. The outpatients department had seven consulting rooms, two treatment rooms, ophthalmic consultation and treatment room and gynaecology consultation and treatment rooms. The service refers patients for diagnostic tests or ongoing surgery within the hospital.

The service provides x-ray and ultrasound diagnostic imaging. The service has support from a third party mobile machine for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerised tomography (CT) five days a week.

The service provides a physiotherapy service as part rehabilitation following surgery. We did not inspect this service as part of our inspection.

The service is registered to provide the following regulated activities:

• Diagnostic and screening procedures
• Family planning
• Surgical procedures
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

The service has a registered manager with the CQC.

The service had a comprehensive inspection in October 2017 and was rated good overall.

Updated 15 December 2021

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when needed. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information.
• Feedback from patients and their relatives was very positive about the way staff treated them. Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. Staff went above and beyond to provide exceptional emotional support to patients, families and carers to minimise their distress.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• There was compassionate inclusive and effective leadership at all levels. Leaders understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. They were highly visible and approachable in the service for patients and staff. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff universally felt respected, supported and valued. They were highly focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services. Leaders encouraged innovation and all staff were committed to improving services.

Updated 15 December 2021

Our rating of this service stayed the same. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available five days a week.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring and responsive and well led.

Diagnostic imaging is a small proportion of outpatient activity. Where arrangements were the same, we have reported findings in the outpatients section.

Updated 15 December 2021

Our rating of this service stayed the same. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available six days a week.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring and responsive and well led.

Updated 15 December 2021

Our rating of this service improved. We rated it as outstanding because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when needed. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.
• Feedback from patients and their relatives were continually very positive about the way staff treated them. Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. Staff went above and beyond to provide exceptional emotional support to patients, families and carers to minimise their distress.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• There was compassionate inclusive and effective leadership at all levels. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. They were highly visible and approachable in the service for patients and staff. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff universally felt respected, supported and valued. They were highly focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services. Leaders encouraged innovation and all staff were committed to improving services.