Devizes NHS Treatment Centre scores top marks for hygiene from patient assessors

Company news

Oct 01, 2013

Devizes NHS Treatment Centre, run by Care UK, has been given the seal of approval following an inspection by a new body that puts patients at the heart of the assessment.

The recently published report praises the centre, which offers out-patient and day surgery to patients across the region, for its high levels of cleanliness.

In January 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron called for a new patient-led inspection of hospitals’ environments and in April the treatment centre underwent its first Patient Led Assessment of Care Environment (PLACE). As the team is led by patients, the assessment places patients’ views at the centre of the review.

Two patient assessors – specially trained patients from the local area who can undertake the assessment from the patients’ perspective – led the inspection at the Devizes centre.

Mona Vanwyk, the treatment centre’s head of nursing, said: “The assessors have access to all areas a patient would visit. We took them to our pre-admission and recovery unit, out-patients and all other public areas of the centre. They also spoke to patients about the care they receive and their opinions on hygiene standards.”

The scores awarded to the centre by the assessors were:

• Cleanliness : 99.4 percent
• Food : 80 percent
• Privacy, Dignity and Wellbeing : 89.4 percent
• Condition, Appearance and Maintenance : 96.2 percent

Mike Atkins, a patient forum member and PLACE assessor, said: “It was very pleasing to see that all the areas we assessed were working at incredibly high levels of care and cleanliness, both in the ward environments and in the out-patient areas. Similarly, internal and external maintenance of buildings and facilities were found to be of the highest level.

“I think it is important that patients have a very real input into the hospital that serves their community and I felt that the team members that worked with us on the assessment valued our comments. It was also clear that the patients are treated with privacy, dignity and respect and in a very professional way.”

Kevin Walsh, hospital director at Devizes NHS Treatment Centre, said: “We strive to maintain the highest standards of care and the only way to consistently provide excellent care is to listen to patients. We welcomed our first PLACE assessment and will take on the assessors’ suggestions.

“It was also very rewarding to hear that the hard work our teams put into delivering first class care on a daily basis is meeting and even exceeding our patients’ expectations.”