Recognition for Royal Surrey’s care environment | News

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust has once again been ranked among the best for the quality of its care environments in a recent inspection, with Royal Surrey County Hospital scoring well above the national average in every category.

Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) are carried out in NHS trusts across the country and involve local people visiting hospitals to assess the environment. The assessments cover food, cleanliness, privacy, dignity and wellbeing, building condition, appearance and maintenance, and how well the organisation supports patients living with dementia or disability.

In terms of how the setting supports disabled patients, Royal Surrey County Hospital retained its score of 99 per cent, compared with the national average of 87 per cent, twelve percentage points above the average. This includes looking at the availability of handrails, appropriate seating, flooring and overall accessibility.

Inspection highlights also include how the environment supports patients living with dementia, with Royal Surrey County Hospital scoring 97 per cent compared with the national average of 85 per cent. Scores were also above average in the trust’s community hospitals, with Milford Hospital scoring 96 per cent.

The quality of the food also received standout recognition, with both of the trust’s hospitals eligible for scoring, Milford and Royal Surrey County Hospital, receiving 98 per cent against a national average of 93 per cent.

In total, 34 assessors, including patient representatives, governors and volunteers, visited three of Royal Surrey’s main sites in Guildford, Haslemere and Milford. 

Louise Stead, Group Chief Executive of Royal Surrey and Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts said:
“I am extremely proud that we have once again received positive scores that are well above the average for NHS trusts like ours.

“There is a huge amount of work carried out by colleagues across our hospitals to create a care environment that supports the dignity of patients and provides them with the best possible experience during their time in hospital. Thank you to everyone who has supported this success, including the volunteers gave their time to carry out the assessments.”