UK Hospitals score on average around eight out of 10 for their non-clinical services like catering and the condition of buildings, fixtures and fittings according to the first ever results from a new patient-led assessment programme.
Self-assessments of more than 1,300 health premises in England, each led by a team comprising at least 50 per cent patients, point to high average scores across four different category areas – with the highest national average mark for cleanliness and the lowest for food and hydration.
The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) report considers the new Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) programme, a voluntary initiative covering both the NHS and the independent sector.
PLACE gives prominence to the role of the public (known as patient assessors), who must make up at least 50 per cent of each assessment team, with two patient assessors as a minimum. There were more than 5,800 patient involvements in the 2013 programme.5
All 1,140 eligible NHS sites (including hospitals, hospices and treatment centres) carried out self-assessments in spring 2013 along with 218 independent/voluntary sector sites (the exact number of eligible sites in this sector is not known).
Read full report: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB11575