Lindhurst Ward at Mansfield Community Hospital, part of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has received an award of the Elder Friendly Quality Mark in recognition of the support staff give to older people.

The Quality Mark is run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and was developed in partnership with organisations including Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Nursing and British Geriatrics Society. It has been established to encourage hospital wards to become involved in improving the quality of essential care of older people and to recognise good care provision, as identified by patient feedback.

The initiative was set up in response to reports over several years, including the Francis Inquiry Report (2013), which have highlighted the need for improvements and the importance of avoiding adverse outcomes in older people’s care and variations in the quality of care among wards.

Patients over the age of 65 have been asked for their feedback about care, including their experiences of comfort, food and drink, support from staff, getting help when needed, and privacy and dignity. Patients have also been asked if they would be happy if a friend or family member was cared for on the ward.

To achieve the Quality Mark wards have:

•Taken part in a two stage assessment. Stage I involves assessing quality of care, which includes identifying areas of achievement and what could be improved. Stage II requires the ward to demonstrate continued focus on improving care for older people, and their progress.

•Collected information from patients, carers and visitors, ward staff and members of the multi-disciplinary team, the ward manager, a lead consultant working on the ward, hospital governors and the senior managers of the Trust.

The Quality Mark is awarded to wards that have achieved high scores in stage II of the assessment.

Susan Bowler, Executive Director of Nursing and Quality at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Trust is committed to putting patients first, and our highest priority is providing the safest and highest quality care. Lindhurst Ward are to be congratulated for achieving this prestigious mark, which would not have been possible without the outstanding efforts of our staff. They are a prime example of solid commitment to excellence and proven results; delivering the safest and most compassionate care and best outcomes for patients and their families.”

Professor Mike Crawford, Director of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Centre for Quality Improvement, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “It’s great to see wards achieving the Quality Mark by improving the care they provide based on feedback from older patients. Wards participating in the programme send an important message about the way they regard patient experience”.

Anita Donley, Clinical Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Congratulations to the wards who achieve the Elder Friendly Quality Ward accreditation.

“The Elder Friendly Quality Ward Mark measures aspects of care, such as comfort, nutrition and support given by staff. Participating in a scheme such as this shows commitment to the quality of care provided to patients.

“Wards achieving this accreditation are places where we listen to patients, carers and staff; actively encourage feedback, and act on the information in order to drive improvement.”

The award is for three years with an interim review. Wards joining the Quality Ward Mark scheme commit to continuous focus on improving essential care based on feedback from patients.