Darent Valley Hospital has exceeded the national average in areas assessed as part of the latest patient-led assessments of the care environment (PLACE). The hospital scored a 98.95% in cleanliness, and 97.50% in appearance and maintenance, while achieving over 87% in the other six areas of inspection.
The PLACE assessments involve local people assessing how the environment supports the provision of clinical care. The team also inspect things such as food, privacy and dignity and the specific needs of patients with dementia or with a disability.
Darent Valley Hospital scored above the national average in all but one area where the hospital was equal to the national average.
Chief Nurse, Siobhan Callanan, said: “We are very pleased with these results. We know every one of our patients should be cared for with compassion and dignity in a clean, safe environment. It is fantastic to see that overall we have scored higher than the national average across all bar one of the categories. It really is testament to everyone’s hard work and commitment towards the care we provide and how we can impact so positively on our patient experience. Our special thanks go to our Estates, Facilities and Capital team and our Medirest and Serco colleagues for the vital part they play every day in supporting the provision of high quality, safe patient care through the standards of the buildings and quality of the services they deliver.”