Patient-led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE), is a compulsory system for assessing the quality of the patient environment. The assessments primarily apply to hospitals and hospices, providing NHS-funded care in both the NHS and private/independent sectors but others are also encouraged and helped to participate in the programme.
The Trust's 2019 scores show that we are above the national average in four of the six categories.
The following areas were assessed:
- Cleanliness
- Food and hydration
- Privacy, dignity and wellbeing
- Condition, appearance and maintenance
- Dementia
- Disability
Out of 45 mental health and learning disability trusts across England, it is worthy to note that our Trust came out in first place for Nutrition and Hydration. Our Trust also came eighth nationally out of all 209 NHS trusts (including acute trusts).
If you are a ward manager or matron and would like to find out more about how you can prepare for your next PLACE assessment in autumn 2020, please contact Julie Westwell, Contracts Manager, Soft FM Services on 01925 664 138.
The teams are made up of patient assessors from Healthwatch, involvement scheme members, governors and staff members from Estates and Facilities.
Although patient assessors can't be current staff or ex-staff who left within the last two years, we are constantly looking for new recruits.
Patient assessors can be patients, relatives, visitors, advocates, Healthwatch, involvement scheme members, governors, voluntary sector representatives, external validators and members of public.
If you know of anyone who would be interested in becoming a patient assessor, please ask them to contact the Involvement Scheme Team on 01925 664 057 or email: involvement@nwbh.nhs.uk
To view the 2019 report, results, audit tools and action plan, please see the right hand column of this page.