NSFT scores above national average in annual PLACE inspections

Patients have rated the quality of food at NSFT as being among the best of any mental health trust in the country.

Inspections by patients, staff and governors praised the standard of food rating it as among the top three of all 38 mental trusts that take part in the national PLACE (patient-led assessments of the care environment) assessments.

It wasn’t just the food that scored highly. Results show higher than national average scores in every area evaluated in the assessments, including cleanliness and maintenance of buildings. The steps taken by the organisation to meet the needs of those with disabilities or dementia also scored highly, as did the work NSFT has done to ensure the privacy and dignity of patients from a clinical and environmental perspective.

Stuart Richardson, Chief Executive of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We’re delighted with these scores.

“Staff work very hard across our sites to ensure patients not only get the best treatment and care, but that the environment in which they receive their care is of the highest standard.”

“These scores are a credit to all our staff who work as part of our estates and catering teams and reflect the commitment they have to providing the best service to our patients, their families and carers.”

PLACE inspections take place annual in every NHS hospital and treatment centre.

They’re important because they put patient views at the centre of the assessment process, and use information gleaned directly from patient assessors to report how well a hospital is performing in the areas assessed – privacy and dignity, cleanliness, food and general building maintenance.

NSFT’s inspections were carried out by a team of patients, service users, staff and NSFT governors at eight adult inpatient sites across Norfolk, Waveney and Suffolk.

Richard Chilcott, Director of Estates and Facilities at NSFT, said: “Making sure our service users and patients can enjoy well-kept, dementia-friendly buildings and good quality food from clean surroundings is a priority for us.

“Maintaining people’s privacy, dignity and wellbeing at a time when they can be extremely vulnerable and unwell is crucial to supporting people’s recovery. These are also areas which have a big impact on the experience which people have when using our services, which is why these assessments are so important.

“We are proud of these results, which show that we have out-performed the national average thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff and contractors. We will continue to look for opportunities to improve further over the coming months.”

Note to editors: Assessments took place at eight adult inpatient NSFT sites across Norfolk, Waveney and Suffolk, which were:

Hellesdon Hospital, Norwich
The Julian Hospital, Norwich
Northside House, Norwich
Northgate Hospital, Great Yarmouth
Carlton Court, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft
St Clements Hospital, Foxhall House, Ipswich
Woodlands, Ipswich
Chatterton House, King’s Lynn

The scores were:

Table highlighting national average, NSFT scores and position compared to other mental health trusts. Full results can be found here https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patient-led-assessments-of-the-care-environment-place/2022---england
	National average	NSFT score	Position compared with all 38 mental health trusts in England
Cleanliness	98.01%	98.90%	17^th
Food	90.23%	96.62%	3^rd
Ward food	n/a	99.58%	3^rd
Privacy, dignity and wellbeing	86.08%	96.05%	11^th
Condition appearance and maintenance	95.79%	97.74%	13^th
Dementia	80.60%	96.93%	4^th
Disability	82.49%	93.95%	11^th