East Kent Hospitals continues to improve in areas such as quality of food, privacy, dignity and wellbeing, approach to a dementia-friendly environment and disability access.
The recognition has come from the fifth annual Patient-Led Assessment in Care Environments (PLACE) audits that were carried out in May across the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (QEQM), Kent and Canterbury and William Harvey hospitals.
PLACE audits were introduced nationally in 2013, and have been designed to assess the quality of the patient environment. All hospitals, hospices and day treatment centres that give NHS-funded care are subject to a PLACE inspection.
The 2017 assessments of East Kent Hospitals showing further improvement upon the 2016 results – with the Trust now being above the national average in nearly all measures.
East Kent Hospitals’ Director of Estates and Facilities, Finbarr Murray, said: “The environment of any hospital is fundamental, and that’s why the PLACE assessments are so important.
“Once again, we’re very pleased with the results of the PLACE assessments, which involve local people going into hospitals as part of a team, to look at the environment patients and visitors experience.
“These inspections don’t focus on the clinical and medical aspect of the Trust’s work, but the environment where staff work and patients are treated.
“That’s why we’re so keen to get things right. Local people carry our assessments and they share our passion for making sure we have high standards.”
As with preceding years the Trust develops an annual action plan from the feedback and comments of the reviewing group. This annual plan is monitored by the Patient Experience Team.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
National guidelines set out the percentage of environments to be reviewed. EKHUFT was required to review the following area on each of its three acute sites:
- Emergency Department
- Ten wards
- Three outpatient areas
- Three to four food assessments
- External areas (car parks, grounds and gardens)
- Internal areas (lifts, stairwells, corridors).
