Derriford Hospital in Plymouth scores highly in national patient assessment

Derriford Hospital in Plymouth has scored 99 per cent for condition, appearance and maintenance in a national inspection assessing hospital environments.

The rating was awarded as part of the Patient-Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) programme, which allows patients and members of the public to help assess NHS facilities.

READ NEXT: Police dogs visit Dartmoor schools to educate students on safety and drugs

The assessment looks at how well hospitals are meeting the needs of patients across eight key areas including cleanliness, food, privacy and dignity, dementia support and disability access.

Inspection teams are made up of at least 50 per cent patient assessors, including relatives, carers, volunteers and patient advocates who provide a non-technical perspective on the hospital environment.

Across the assessment, University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) scored above the national benchmark in several areas, including cleanliness (98.6 per cent), privacy, dignity and wellbeing (93.7 per cent), condition, appearance and maintenance (99 per cent), dementia (89.9 per cent) and disability (89.1 per cent).

Hospitals in the trust, including Tavistock Hospital and South Hams Hospital, also scored above the national average for patient privacy, dignity and wellbeing.

The results highlighted improvements to dementia and disability environments, with measures such as handrails and dementia-friendly signage being introduced more consistently across hospital buildings.

John Stephens, Director of Estates and Facilities at UHP, said the scores reflected the efforts of staff across the organisation.

“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,” he said.

“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 assessments are carried out annually and give NHS organisations a snapshot of how hospital environments are experienced by patients and visitors. 

The results are used to create action plans for further improvements.

Figures from UHP show consistent improvement across assessment categories between 2019 and 2025 across its hospital sites.

Volunteer assessor Amanda Wilton, a member of the Patient Council, said she joined the programme to help improve the hospital environment.

“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.”

Another volunteer assessor, Paul Roberts, known as Robbie, is in his third year taking part in the programme.

“What impressed me is that we came up with an action plan that staff and staff were quick to implement any recommended improvements,” he said.