9 July 2009
A national survey, which involves patients and members of the public, has shown that the food, environment and levels of privacy and dignity provided at both Epsom and St Helier hospitals are 'good'.
Figures from this year's PEAT (Patient Environment Action Team) assessment, which was undertaken in February, show that the Trust scored highly across a number of standards relating to the hospital's environment.
The survey looks at a wide range of issues that could affect patient's experience during their stay at the hospitals, including cleanliness, the catering service and even how the hospital smells. And it's not just an assessment of the inside of the hospitals; access and car parking are also studied.
Pippa Hart, Director of Nursing said: "Our patients expect high quality care to be delivered in a clean and welcoming environment. The PEAT assessment is extremely thorough - to be graded as 'good' at both hospitals is excellent news for the Trust and our patients."
Madeline Boissiere was one of the patient representatives on the assessment team. She said: "I have been a patient in Epsom Hospital in the past, and so I can see the hospital's environment through the eyes of a patient. Having members of the public and patients on the assessment team makes the survey even more effective in seeing what's good for the hospital's patients and what doesn't work."
Head of Environmental Support Services, Jane Ward said: "We are very proud of these results, and they truly reflect the hard work that goes into making the time patients spend in our hospitals as pleasant as it could be.
"This assessment shows that our hospitals work to good standards which continue to improve as we go along. There were some fantastic results in the survey, including a large improvement in the levels of privacy and dignity we provide."
The Patient Environment Action Team programme was established to assess NHS hospitals in 2000, and has been managed by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) since 2006. Under the programme, every inpatient healthcare facility in England with more than ten beds is assessed annually and given a rating of 'excellent', 'good', 'acceptable', 'poor' or 'unacceptable'.
The assessment teams consist of patients, patient representatives and members of the public. They also include NHS staff, including nurses, matrons, doctors, catering and domestic service managers, executive and non-executive directors, dieticians and estates directors.
