Patient facilities at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust recognised as exceeding benchmarks for quality
Recent results of a national patient care assessment have recognised Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as providing environments of a high standard for patients. Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) are nationally regulated and provide a recognised standard across all NHS Trusts relating to the quality and standards of care environments.
The assessments involve local people - known as patient assessors - visiting hospitals as part of teams to assess how the environment supports the provision of clinical care. The assessors then evaluate matters such as privacy and dignity, food, cleanliness, general building maintenance and - more recently - the extent to which the environment can support the care of those with dementia or with a disability.
The PLACE assessment carried out in 2024 yielded positive results across the board, with several areas surpassing national averages and others demonstrating strong levels of satisfaction, approaching the national benchmark.
Paul Risker, Patient Assessor in 2024’s PLACE Assessment said: "It's been great to take part in PLACE, which helps to bring together the voices of staff as well as patient assessors. Our objective with the assessments is to not only identify areas for improvement - but also celebrate the positives. This year's score tells our patients and service users that the Trust is investing in services and the provision of a welcoming and safe space.
"Day-to-day, this means that patients and service users can be assured that areas of concern and improvement are dealt with to support the Trust in providing a positive patient experience."
Matthew Petchey, Patient Experience and Involvement Manager at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The opinions of our patients are vital in helping to shape the future of the Trust. This is why the PLACE assessments are so important – enabling us to use views of people living across the Black Country as the driving force for change.
“We’re very pleased to be identified as exceeding national standards across several areas and meeting them in others. This year, we hope to build on the success of these results, ensuring continuity in the places we’re exceeding the national standards, while working together to support areas that need more help.
“This positive outcome reflects our ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving care environments for patients, visitors, and staff. We would like to thank everyone involved in the assessment process.”
Carolyn Green, Chief Nurse at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our performance in 2024’s PLACE assessment highlights the brilliant work of our Facilities team, support staff and patient assessors. It is thanks to their efforts that our Trust can provide consistently safe and clean environments.
“We’re also incredibly pleased that this year, we had the highest level of patient support and involvement on record. This is testament to the brilliant work of our people that we’ve been able to get more patients involved in the process, helping to provide the truest reflection of the quality of our services.”
More information on the PLACE assessment process can be found at: digital.nhs.uk.
For more information on the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, please visit its website.
