A survey has scored Stevenage’s Lister Hospital higher than the national average for cleanliness, food, support for people with disabilities, and the condition of the buildings.

The Comet: Liz Lees, director of nursing at the East and North Herts NHS Trust. Picture: East and North Herts NHS Trust.Liz Lees, director of nursing at the East and North Herts NHS Trust. Picture: East and North Herts NHS Trust. (Image: Archant)

Patient-led assessments for the care environment - PLACE - are an annual appraisal of the non-clinical aspects of healthcare settings, undertaken by teams made up of staff and patients. The teams must include a minimum of 50 per cent patients.

Using a framework, the teams assess the environment’s cleanliness, food and hydration provision, the extent to which the provision of care with privacy and dignity is supported, and whether the premises are equipped to meet the needs of people with dementia or with a disability.

Lister scored above the national average for five out of the six areas assessed, dipping below in terms of the premises being equipped to meet the needs of people with dementia. Lister scored 74.77 per cent in this area, with the national average at 75.3 per cent.

Food quality has improved from a rating of 68.87 per cent in 2015 to 93.49 per cent this year.

Liz Lees, the director of nursing at the East and North Herts NHS Trust, which runs Lister, said: “The environment in which patients receive their care can have a big impact on their experience of our clinical services.

“The latest annual PLACE survey scores at the Lister are positive.

“Whilst there is always more to be done, this shows the continuing improvements being made at the Lister when it comes to making sure that our patients get the high quality care that they need.”

NHS England says: “Every NHS patient should be cared for with compassion and dignity in a clean, safe environment.

“PLACE assessments provide motivation for improvement by providing a clear message, directly from patients, about how the environment or services might be enhanced.

“The assessments see local people being asked to go into hospitals as part of teams to assess how the environment supports patient’s privacy and dignity, food, cleanliness and general building maintenance. It focuses entirely on the care environment and does not cover clinical care provision or how well staff are doing their job.”