Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE)

The PLACE (Patient–Led Assessment of the Care Environment) assessment was introduced in April 2013 and is a government initiative to ensure that the assessment process is impartial and is based on patients' perceptive and experiences.

The PLACE assessment program offers a non–technical view of the building and non–clinical services provided across all hospitals providing NHS-funded care.

The National PLACE assessment results are a Trust indicator and are shared with the Care Quality Commission, which uses the information in discharging its responsibilities for monitoring and reporting on Trust performance.

ELHT National Patient-Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) Assessment 2022

Would you like to be an assessor?

Our annual PLACE assessments give our patients and communities the opportunity to influence the way their local health and care services are run and in a way in which they are held to account.

Assessment teams are a collaboration between ELHT colleagues and patient assessors, with patient assessors making up at least 50 per cent of the assessment team. Anyone who uses the Trust’s services can be a patient assessor, including current patients, their family and visitors, carers, patient advocates or patient council members. NHS foundation trust governors can also be patient assessors.

Colleagues working in a hospital cannot undertake assessments there as patient assessors, though they are able to act as patient assessors at hospitals in other NHS trusts or elsewhere. Similarly, those who have recently left employment in a hospital/trust should not return as a patient assessor until a suitable period (normally two years) has elapsed.

If you are interested in becoming a patient assessor and would like to support your local Trust with this year’s assessment, please contact your local Healthwatch group or ELHT PLACE Leads Lisa Grendall or Amy Jane Evans. We look forward to working with you on this important annual assessment.

National PLACE Development sessions and guidance will be provided to support the Patient Representatives by the Trust PLACE Lead, between (August 2022 – September 2022), for further details please contact the Trust on the below details.

Trust Contact Details:

·         Lisa Grendall – Development and Environment Manager – lisa.grendall@elht.nhs.uk

·         Amy Jane Evans – Project coordinator – amy-jane.evans@elht.nhs.uk

ELHT PLACE LITE Assessments 2021

The PLACE (Patient Led – Assessment of the Care Environment) was introduced in April 2013, PLACE is a government initiative to ensure that the assessment process is impartial and is based on patients perceptive and experience. This assessment has replaced the former PEAT assessment process. The National PLACE Assessment criteria was reviewed in 2019 to ensure the criteria for assessment remains fit for purpose and relevant.

The PLACE assessment programmes; offers a non- technical view of the building and non – clinical services provided across all hospital providing NHS funded care.

The National PLACE Assessment results are a Trust Indicator and are shared with the Care Quality Commission, who uses the information in discharging their responsibilities for monitoring and reporting of Trust Performance

NHS Digital provided all NHS Trusts with the following update to all NHS Trust on the 6 July 2021.

In 2020 a decision was taken to suspend the full PLACE programme due to the operational difficulties and associated risks brought about by Covid-19.  PLACE-LITE remained open for healthcare organisations to undertake assessments if they chose to do so.   It was great to hear that a number of organisations did run PLACE-LITE and used the results to continue to make improvements to the environment for the benefit of patients.  

We had hoped to reinstate the full PLACE programme this year, however, in light of the continuing uncertainties that remain with Covid-19 we recognise that to do so could be extremely challenging.  We have, therefore, taken the decision to suspend the full programme for a second year and encourage the use of PLACE LITE.

It is recommended to conduct assessments in line with PLACE processes as far as possible, and current guidance is available on the collection page:

National PLACE LITE Assessment 2021 – Criteria Changes

Reference

Supporting information

NHS Improvement –PLACE LITE Assessment 2021 documentation

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/areas-of-interest/estates-and-facilities/patient-led-assessments-of-the-care-environment-place

 

ELHT PLACE LITE Assessment 2021 - Development Sessions:

To support the education requirements for the ELHT PLACE LITE Assessment 2021, ELHT PLACE Lead provided the following development sessions of Microsoft teams between the following dates 8 November 2021 – 15 November 2021:

ELHT PLACE LITE – development sessions (Internal staff)

Training Events 2021 - Experience Assessors ( 1 Hr session) 

9 November 2021 - 11:00am - 12: noon (MS Teams)  

9 November 2021 - 1:00pm - 2: 00pm (MS Teams)  

15 November 2021 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm (MS Teams)  

Training Events 2021 - New Assessors (3 Hrs) 

8 November 2021 - 1:00pm - 4:00 pm (MS Teams) 

10 November 2021 -9.00am-12.00 (MS Team) 

15 November 2021 -9.00am-12.00 (MS Team) 

 

Attendance to the Development sessions:

  • 72 staff attended the development sessions (New staff and Experienced PLACE Assessors

ELHT PLACE LITE Assessment 2021 – Delivery Timeline

Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital                                       - 22 November 2021

                                                                                                - 23 November 2021

Pendle Community Teaching Hospital                                   - 30 November 2021

Clitheroe Community Hospital                                                - 3 December 2021

Burnley General Teaching Hospital                                        - 6 December 2021

                                                                                                - 15 December 2021

Accrington Victoria Community Teaching Hospital                - 14 December 2021

 

ELHT PLACE LITE Assessments 2021 timescale (22 November 2021 – 23 December 2021)

ELHT PLACE LITE Assessments 2021 carried during this period:

ELHT Assessments Documents for submission                                                         101

ELHT Organisational Criterion Documents                                                                 15

ELHT Total National PLACE Assessments Document for submission                     116

Breakdown of ELHT National PLACE Assessment Documentation submitted: 2021

  • ED / UCC/ MIU                                                              3
  • Wards                                                                             32
  • Departments                                                                  44
  • Internal (Communal areas)                                            5
  • External Areas                                                               5
  • Food Assessment                                                          12

PLACE Results

PLACE Feedback 2015-16

PLACE Feedback 2016-17

PLACE Feedback 2017-18

PLACE Strategic Improvement Plan 2016-17

PLACE Strategic Improvement Plan 2017-18

PLACE Strategic Improvement Plan 2018-19

These are the results from the 2018 Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) programme. These self-assessments are undertaken by teams of NHS and private/independent health care providers, and include at least 50 per cent members of the public (known as patient assessors). They focus on the environment in which care is provided, as well as supporting non-clinical services such as cleanliness, food, hydration, and the extent to which the provision of care with privacy and dignity is supported, and aspects of the environment in relation to the provision of care to those with dementia.

The national publication of results took place 16 August 2018 and can be found here: National PLACE Results for 2018

Useful Links

Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE), England - 2013, Experimental statistics (http://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB11575)