Emersons Green NHS Treatment Centre scores top marks from patient assessors

Company news

Oct 01, 2013

Bristol’s Emerson Green NHS Treatment Centre, run by Care UK, has been given top marks 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 in- and out-patient surgery to patients across the region, for its high levels of care and 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.

The patient assessors – specially trained patients from the local area who can undertake the assessment from the patients’ perspective – led the assessment at Emersons Green.

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 the wards, 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                                                                  100 percent
• Food                                                                            98.4 percent
• Privacy, Dignity and Wellbeing                                   97.2 percent
• Condition, Appearance and Maintenance                  97.4 percent

Linda Taylor, a member of Emersons Green’s patient forum and PLACE assessor, said: “We were particularly keen to sample the centre’s food and to talk to the patients about the care they received. We tried all the food that was being served in the centre and then, after lunch, we spoke to the patients about it. The feedback was very positive, with people describing the food as hot, nutritious and delicious.

“Our observations and discussions with patients showed that the staff go above and beyond people’s expectations to make a patient’s stay here excellent – buying in food requested which was not on the menu, purchasing newspapers for patients and allowing food to be eaten at other times than scheduled meal times.”

Mrs Taylor was pleased that the assessment puts patients at the heart of the inspection and that their feedback is valued. She said: “The real reward for me was the value hospital staff placed on the comments and small improvements suggested by us, as the patient assessors, to help them continue to move forward and build on their excellence.”

Pamela Mackie, hospital director at Emersons Green NHS Treatment Centre, said: “I am very proud of the team. Each person, whether they are part of a medical, administration, maintenance or catering team, strives to ensure each patient has the best possible experience of treatment and care and I think that is reflected in the assessors’ feedback.

“This initiative reflects the importance of meeting the needs and expectations of patients and I am delighted that the assessors have commented so positively. One area mentioned for possible improvement was signage – we will certainly take that on board and work with Care UK’s experts on accessibility to ensure we make the most of the assessors’ valuable feedback.”