WORKERS at Borders General Hospital (BGH) have been praised for their “person-centred approach” after regulators carried out an unannounced inspection in November.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland published its findings on Thursday (February 9).

The inspection focused on the ‘safe delivery of care’ and considered a number of factors including the ward and hospital environment; staff practice and interactions with patients; and review of documentation.

The report highlighted a number of areas of good practice.

A Healthcare Improvement Scotland spokesperson said: “At the time of inspection, Borders General Hospital, like much of NHS Scotland, was experiencing a significant range of pressures including increased hospital admissions, increased waiting times in admission units and reduced staff availability. We observed that although there were staffing challenges, staff responded positively to deliver effective patient care and we observed multidisciplinary teams working collaboratively to meet patient needs.

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“We observed the use of safety huddles to assess if care areas within the hospital site were ‘safe to start’ on the day. The safety huddles we attended appeared effective, all departments were represented and we observed staff engaging well. During the huddles staff adopted a person-centred approach, prioritising wards with the highest levels of patient risk and discussing how these risks would be managed and mitigated.

“The senior hospital managers displayed good oversight, understanding of their clinical areas and the wider system pressures across the hospital. We observed senior management teams exploring new ways to address the staffing challenges and high levels of patient occupancy.

“Care was person-centred and patients were treated with dignity and respect. There was a clear staff focus on the provision of safe and compassionate care for patients throughout the hospital. Staff told us that they were well supported by leadership and were able to raise concerns.

“We also observed a person-centred approach to workforce planning, such as supplementary staff being allocated to wards they were already familiar with to ensure continuity of care.”

The spokesperson added: “Areas for improvement highlighted within this report include patient mealtimes, documentation of care, compliance with hand hygiene and the poor state of repair of flooring throughout the hospital.”

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The inspectors visited a number of wards, as well as the emergency department and intensive care unit.

NHS Borders’ Sarah Horan, executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, said: “I am immensely proud of our staff, who the inspectors overwhelmingly observed to be patient-centred and diligent.

“The report acknowledges the sustained pressures that we face across the health and care system, so to receive positive feedback during such challenging times reinforces the commitment of staff to our values of care, compassion, dignity and respect.

“I hope that staff are encouraged by this report as they continue to carry out their jobs in difficult circumstances.”

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Associate director of nursing Elaine Dickson said: “I would like to thank the inspectors for their report. The feedback provided from inspections is always welcomed, and the areas of improvement identified by the Inspectors are detailed in our improvement action plan, with the majority already complete.

“I echo Sarah’s thanks to everyone who was involved in the inspection and extend my thanks to all staff across NHS Borders who continue to work tirelessly and selflessly to deliver care to the people of the Borders during a period of exceptional strain on health and social care services.”