Patient-led teams rate Guy's and St Thomas'

Patient-led teams have rated Guy’s and St Thomas’ above the national average for cleanliness, maintenance, appearance and condition as well as food, being dementia-friendly, and for treating people with dignity.

The Patient-led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) takes place every year. The PLACE teams are made up of patients, local people and staff. They visit the Trust’s hospitals and community sites, tasting the food and looking at areas including the changing and waiting facilities, signage, lighting and the condition of fixtures and fittings. 

Guy’s and St Thomas’ scores are:

• 99.75% for cleanliness (national average 97.57%)
• 93.57% for appearance, condition and maintenance (national average 90.11%)
• 90.43% for privacy, dignity and wellbeing (national average  86.03%)
• 92.61% for food and hydration (national average 88.49%)
• 82.18% for being dementia-friendly (national average 74.51%)

Peter Bennett, Head of Hotel Services, says: “We know how important it is to make sure the environment is right for our patients. Clean, comfortable wards, good food, and welcoming staff are all part of patients’ experience.

“We’re very pleased to have scored so highly, but we are not complacent. These assessments help us to see where patients and the public think we can do better so we can continue to improve.”

For the first time, the PLACE inspection teams rated the patient environment for being dementia-friendly.

Amanda Millard, Director of Patient and Carer Experience, says: "We want to make the Trust as comfortable and welcoming a place as possible for all patients, including people with dementia.

“We listen to the views of our patients and visitors and then make sure we act on their feedback. This is why we've introduced new measures designed to help patients sleep soundly while in our hospitals. It’s also why we're encouraging staff to wear bright yellow ‘#hellomynameis…’ badges and to introduce themselves to patients properly, so they can be easily identified.”