Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) 2015
Background
This is the second year that Healthwatch Hertfordshire (HwH) has formally written a report about the experiences of the HwH volunteers in the Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) audits.
Following our recommendation in the 2014 report, HwH approached The Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow (where a large percentage of East Hertfordshire residents attend) regarding taking part in their PLACE assessment in 2015 and this was accepted.
About Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment
Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) are a self-assessment of the non-clinical services which contribute to the environment in hospitals, hospices and independent organisations providing NHS-funded care in England.
The assessments look at cleanliness, the condition of the buildings, how well the buildings meets the needs of those who use it e.g. signage, car parking, the availability and quality of food and drink and how well privacy and dignity is supported by the environment.
The audits are undertaken by a combination of patients, the public and other bodies with an interest in healthcare such as Healthwatch, in partnership with the NHS Trust staff, using a range of criteria to identify how well the trust is performing and identifying areas for improvement.
The overall aim is to focus on what patients see and say.
What We Did
The aim for HwH was to have at least one HwH representative on the visits acting as an independent observer, utilising our trained Enter and View representatives as much as possible.
There were a total of 28 visits where at least one HwH representative was present.
We invited our volunteers to give feedback on their experiences at each of the Trusts to produce observations and recommendations on the PLACE process. This was to ensure a level of transparency and clarity of assessments across the Trusts, and to ensure other patient assessors on the visits felt supported to give full and honest feedback.
These audits took place from March 2015 to June 2015 and covered:
- Watford General Hospital
- Hemel Hempstead Hospital
- St Albans City Hospital
- Lister Hospital
- Mount Vernon Cancer Centre
- The Princess Alexandra Hospital
- Barnet Hospital
- Community in-patient wards
- Mental Health wards and units
What We Found
- The PLACE assessments that HwH were part of were well organised with good communication between the trusts and HwH without exception. Representatives felt listened to and that their feedback was accurately recorded. If any issues arose during the assessments, the trust leads acted swiftly and ensured that any learning was incorporated in future visits.
- HwH still feels that as there does not appear to be a consistent approach to the PLACE process across the country, the position on the national league table is not necessarily an accurate reflection of performance.
- To improve patient experience, Trust Boards and commissioners should focus on investigating what the PLACE scores mean, why there may be a drop in standards and develop clear priorities that is supported by the Trust Board particularly where there is a lack of funding to achieve all the identified actions.
- The training of patient assessors and staff still needs to be improved and planned. Generic PowerPoint presentations give little insight into what is involved for new assessors.
Read the full report here
If you require this report in another format, please get in touch.
