The Trust that runs Shropshire’s specialist orthopaedic hospital has been rated as one of the best in the country in almost every area of the latest patient led assessment of the care environment (PLACE) survey.
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) has scored strongly in a number of areas of the survey, which focusses on the environment in which care is provided, as well as non-clinical aspects of services, such as cleanliness, food, hydration, and privacy, dignity and wellbeing.
PLACE assessments are undertaken by teams of NHS and private or independent health care providers, which must be made up of at least 50 per cent members of the public.
Particular highlights for the Trust from the survey included cleanliness, food and condition, appearance and maintenance of the hospital.
For cleanliness, RJAH scored 99.91%. While for food, the Trust was marked 100% for ward food taste, 90% for organisational food, with overall food being rated at 96.15%.
These strong scores back up the findings of last year’s Quality Commission’s (CQC) Adult Inpatient Survey, where food and cleanliness was ranked best in the country by patients.
Condition, appearance and maintenance of the hospital was scored at 98.37%.
The Trust was marked above the national average for privacy, dignity and wellbeing, with a score of 94.66%, compared to the 86.09% average.
The PLACE assessment also identifies how well the Trust supports patients living with dementia or with disabilities.
For supporting patients with dementia, RJAH was scored 89.43% – higher than the national average of 80.70%. While, for supporting those with disabilities, the Trust was once again the national average of 82.52%, with a rating of 89.33%.
Martine Williams, Facilities Manager and Trust lead for PLACE, said: “A big well done to our teams across the Trust, in particular our fantastic Housekeeping, Catering and Estates staff members, whose hard work and commitment to the very highest standards have ensured this superb set of results.
“The overall feeling on the day of the assessment was extremely positive. However, we don’t rest on our laurels. Following the feedback and observations from the day, we have created a comprehensive action plan to address any issues that were raised.”
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