UHP scores 99% for Condition, Care and Maintenance in national Patient-Led Assessments
Standards of Condition, appearance and maintenance at University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) Derriford Hospital site have been rated as 99%, in a recent PLACE assessment. PLACE is part of a national system that aims to help NHS organisations understand how well they are meeting the needs of their patients and identify where improvements can be made and stands for Patient-Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE)
The inspection team, made up of at least 50% patient assessors including relatives, carers, friends, patient advocates or volunteers, who offer a non-technical view across a range of environmental and non-clinical aspects. They rate how standards are being met in 8 main domains:
- Cleanliness
- Food
- Organisational Food
- Ward Food
- Privacy, Dignity & Wellbeing
- Condition, Appearance and Maintenance
- Dementia
- Disability
Dementia and disability environments scored particularly high with measurable improvements such as handrails and dementia friendly signage being rolled out consistently across the hospital.
All UHP sites including Tavistock and South Hams Hospitals, scored above the national benchmark for patient Privacy, dignity and wellbeing. We scored higher than the national average in five key areas: Cleanliness (98.6%), Privacy, dignity and wellbeing (93.7%), Condition, appearance and maintenance (99%), Dementia (89.9%) and Disability (89.1%).
“These results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Estates, Facilities and clinical teams who take great pride in providing a safe, clean and welcoming environment for patients, visitors and colleagues across our sites. Achieving such strong scores across multiple areas reflects the collective effort of many teams working together every day to maintain high standards” says John Stephens, Director of Estates and Facilities
“I’d also like to extend my sincere thanks to our patient assessors who give their time and insight. Their perspective is invaluable in helping us see our hospitals through the eyes of patients and their families, and their feedback plays an important role in helping us continue to improve the environment in which care is delivered.”
PLACE is an annual snapshot that gives organisations a clear picture of how their environment is seen by those using it. Scores are used to produce a focussed action plan for proactive improvements. The scores from across UHP sites, including Tavistock and South Hams Hospitals show consistent improvement across all categories between 2019 and 2025, although different areas are assessed.
Amanda Wilton, a member of the Patient Council and a volunteer, is one of the PLACE assessors and says: “I wanted to be involved in PLACE assessments to make a positive difference to patients, carers and staff. Staff are so busy delivering care that sometimes they miss or don't have time to see or report things that are not as they should be. Patients, carers and staff deserve a clean and well-maintained environment”.
Paul Roberts, a UHP volunteer known as Robbie, is in his third year as a PLACE assessor and says, “What impressed me is that we come up with an action plan that staff and staff were quick to implement any recommended improvements”.
For more information on PLACE, including some of the improvements implemented from previous assessments follow this Staff Hub link, Patient Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE)
