Just under one in six NHS and independent organisations in England rates its hospital environment for patients as excellent across the board, says a new NHS Information Centre report.

About 15 per cent (52) of NHS and participating independent organisations scored “excellent” for all sites in self-assessed Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) inspections in 2011 across all three sections; Environment, Privacy and Dignity, and Food. This compares with just below 12 per cent (40 organisations) in 2010.

Most organisations have also improved across the three sections compared to the previous year, with at least four in five achieving “good” or “excellent” in each section, according to; Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) – 2011 results, England.

PEAT assessments aim to provide a snapshot of standards across a range of non-clinical activity that impact upon the patient in hospital; from cleanliness and signage to assistance with eating and drinking.

Although it is a voluntary programme, 100 per cent of eligible NHS organisations, covering 1,222 hospitals, took part in 2011, along with 141 independent hospitals.

Hospitals are scored in each of the three categories as one of five grades – ranging from “excellent” to “unacceptable”. In 2011 there were no “unacceptable” ratings at all and no “poor” ratings in the Food section, but one “poor” rating in both the Environment and Privacy and Dignity sections.

Although the PEAT programme is based on self-assessment to a standard format, independent validation of results take place in a minimum of 15 per cent of hospitals each year. In 2011, 22 per cent (299) of hospitals were independently validated through an external assessor.

Key findings for 2011 include:

Patient environment (Assessed elements include; cleanliness, lighting, furnishing, bedside entertainment systems, car-parking and signage.)

• 93 per cent of NHS hospitals achieved a rating of good or excellent, compared to 87 per cent in 2010. The figure for participating independent hospitals was 88 per cent, compared to 83 per cent in 2010. Patient environment ratings for NHS and independent hospitals are not directly comparable.⁴

Food (Assessed elements include; choice, availability, quality, quantity, presentation, service and support.)

• 98 per cent of NHS hospitals achieved a rating of good or excellent, compared to 96 per cent in 2010. The equivalent figure for participating independent hospitals was 78 per cent, compared to 73 per cent in 2010.

Privacy and dignity (Assessed elements include; confidentiality of patient information, visiting hours, assistance with personal care, appropriate patient clothing and ability to follow usual faith practices.)

• 99 per cent of NHS hospitals achieved a rating of good or excellent, compared to 96 per cent in 2010. The equivalent figure for participating independent hospitals was just over 99 per cent, compared to just below 99 per cent in 2010.

NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: “While clinical care is of course paramount for the patient while they are in hospital, their experience from admission to discharge will also be informed by other elements of hospital life – from the condition of the furnishings to the quality of the food.

“Hospitals are clearly committed to assessing these elements through the PEAT programme, and this year's report shows a rise in assessed standards across the board. In fact, no hospital was assessed as having an unacceptable standard for any elements of the inspection.”

Individual hospital and Trust level data is available at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/peatresults2011

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a wide range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
2. The Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) programme is a self-assessment of a range of non-clinical services which contribute to the environment in which healthcare is delivered in both the NHS and Independent healthcare sectors within England, for hospital sites where the site has a minimum of 10 in-patient beds. Participation is voluntary for both the NHS and Independent sector. The number of Independent hospitals which may be eligible to participate is not known. The 2011 Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) programme was the 13th assessment of the quality of non-clinical services provided to NHS patients across three areas – Environment (including cleanliness), Food and Privacy and Dignity. The programme also entered its third year of operation in the independent healthcare sector. This is the latest publication of an annual series going back to 2004. Prior to 2004 a different assessment was in use and results were based on a Red/Amber/Green rating. For this reason results prior to 2004 are not included in this report.
3. "Organisations” relate to NHS trusts and independent sector providers. Both types of organisation will often be responsible for more than one hospital site. All participating hospitals undertake the assessment between January and March. The data is provided by NHS Trusts and independent hospitals through an on-line reporting system. Entry of ‘out-of-range' data is not possible. Once an organisation has confirmed its results, changes can only be made with the permission of the NHS IC. As part of the reporting process, NHS organisations are asked to state whether the PEAT assessment has been signed off by the Board nominee for cleanliness, 93.4 per cent of NHS hospitals and 83.7 per cent of Independent hospitals answered ‘yes' to this.
4. Results are determined on a 5-point scale of Excellent, Good, Acceptable, Poor and Unacceptable. For the Patient Environment rating; the initial (un-weighted) result for NHS hospitals is subject to a weighting process based on a Trust's performance against the National Specifications for Cleanliness. However, results for independent providers are not weighted as the National Specifications for Cleanliness are not operative in this sector. Due to this, Patient Environment ratings for NHS and independent hospitals are not directly comparable.
5. Accuracy of scoring is achieved through the provision of guidance to teams undertaking assessments. In addition, in 2011 299 (21.9%) hospitals included an external validator in their inspection. It is also recommended that hospitals include a user or user representative in their inspection and in 2011 76.7 per cent did so. The percentage of hospitals where neither external validation nor user/user representative was involved is 17.7 per cent. Prior to ratification of the final results individual organisations are notified of their preliminary results and offered the opportunity to query or challenge them
6. Although the assessment process is common to all, the precise areas of the assessment undertaken in any hospital will vary according to size and the services provided – for example not all hospitals will have an Accident and Emergency department or Minor Injuries unit. Additionally, in some hospitals as part of treatment programmes, patients prepare and cook their own food. In these cases the Food section of the assessment is not completed, therefore numbers will not always be consistent across all aspects of the assessment.
7. Percentages in this press release have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
8. For media enquires please call 0845 257 6990 or contact mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk