Our Impact: Our Enter and View visit to the Luther King Ward

News - 4 December 2025

Find out how our visit to the Luther King Ward led to tangible improvements in communication, involvement in care, and access to refreshments, creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for patients and carers.
A brightly lit hospital corridor with light green walls and wooden flooring. The hallway features several doors on both sides, some with windows, and a fire exit sign above leading forward. The far end of the corridor is visible, with a door slightly ajar and a chair in the distance.

Background

We visited the 18 bed Luther King Ward at Lambeth Hospital, which provides acute mental health care to men with a severe mental illness (SMI). We spoke to patients, carers and staff about how care was experienced and delivered. 

This was part of a broader engagement with Black Men with SMI to capture their experiences of mental health care. Find out more.

What patients and carers told us:

Inconsistent information and communication with staff

  • Most patients hadn’t received an induction. Many were unaware of activities available and found ward routines unclear.
  • Patients and carers felt excluded from medication and care plan discussions

Limited access to food outside mealtimes

  • Patients said they could not access snacks or drinks outside mealtimes, meaning those unable to leave the ward had no way to get extra food.

What difference did your feedback make?

In response to our recommendations, the ward has introduced:

  • Better inductions: welcome packs with clear information about ward routines and processes given on admission.
  • Stronger feedback mechanisms: regular meet and greet sessions with ward managers for patients and carers to ask questions and give feedback.
  • Improved involvement in care planning: opportunities for patients and carers to join ward rounds and contribute to care planning and medication discussions.
  • Therapeutic activities: weekly programme of therapeutic and recreational activities delivered by an OT and Activity Coordinator.
  • Access to refreshments: snacks and hot water for tea and coffee provided outside mealtimes.

“I would like to thank the Healthwatch team for visiting our ward and providing such detailed feedback, which will help us enhance the services our team provides to patients. […] 

We understand how vital feedback is for continuous improvement.”

Ward Management – Luther King Ward, Lambeth Hospital

Read the full report on our visit to the Luther King Ward

Enter and View

Our Enter and View programme involves visiting publicly funded health and social care services in Lambeth, speaking to service users, carers, and staff, and using their feedback to make recommendations to improve care and quality. 

Find out more

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A brightly lit hospital corridor with light green walls and wooden flooring. The hallway features several doors on both sides, some with windows, and a fire exit sign above leading forward. The far end of the corridor is visible, with a door slightly ajar and a chair in the distance.

Enter & View: Luther King Ward

As part of our Enter and View programme, Healthwatch Lambeth visited the Luther King Ward, one of the wards in Lambeth Hospital where male service users living in the London Borough of Lambeth receive care for their acute mental illness.
Report