Hospitals in North Devon rated 'Excellent' for patient environment
HOSPITALS in North Devon are among the best in the country when it comes to patient environment, a new survey has revealed. According to figures released today (Monday) by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in its annual Patient Environment Action T
HOSPITALS in North Devon are among the best in the country when it comes to patient environment, a new survey has revealed.
According to figures released today (Monday) by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in its annual Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) assessments, the region's hospitals provide the best environments for patients in Devon and are in the top 20% in England.
Facilities run by Northern Devon Healthcare Trust - which include community hospitals in Torrington, South Molton, Bideford and Holsworthy as well as North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple - were each rated "Excellent" in all three of the categories measured.
The PEAT inspections check NHS hospitals in England for their standards in three areas of concern to patients - environment; food; and privacy and dignity.
Unannounced inspection teams review issues such as cleanliness, hand hygiene and the quality of accommodation and food from the perspective of a patient. In North Devon, they were carried out between January 5 and April 17 this year
Although the vast majority of UK hospitals received either good or excellent ratings in the three categories, just 219 out of 1,265 hospitals tested - 17.3 per cent - matched the Trust's "Excellent" grading in every category.
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Jac Kelly, chief executive of Northern Devon Healthcare Trust, said: "The issues of cleanliness, food and privacy go right to the heart of patients' confidence in their time in hospital.
"We are delighted that the hard work of staff in providing patients with an excellent service has been reflected in the NPSA results.
"Our last in-patient survey revealed that we are above average for cleanliness and food and so patients can be confident of the high quality of care and treatment they will receive in all our hospitals.
"I congratulate all Trust and Sodexo staff for this fantastic achievement.
