A new assessment measuring the standards of hospital environments has been conducted at the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Trust has been given a full clean bill of health.
The Patient-led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) inspections assess privacy and dignity, food, cleanliness and general maintenance. It focuses entirely on the care environment within areas accessible to patients and the public.
It is seen as an invaluable resource in assessing a Trust's care environment and the high quality service given to patients.
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust scored well in all areas assessed, most notably for 'cleanliness' for which the Countess was awarded a score of 99.5% - among the top 20% of all organisations assessed - with an equally impressive score of 97.5% being achieved at the Trust's Ellesmere Port Hospital site. The assessment of food on the two sites was above the national average and both sites scored over 80% for privacy and dignity.
The Trust's Director of Nursing & Quality, Alison Kelly commented: "This assessment is an excellent achievement for the Trust and it demonstrates our commitment to providing a high quality environment for our patients. As well as the actual clinical care given to patients, the environment in which they receive it is equally important and the scores received in this assessment are testament to the hard work and dedication of our non-clinical services, in particular our Facilities team and Estates department."