People with an interest in the NHS are being asked to help carry out assessments designed to make sure East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) is meeting the highest standards of cleanliness while ensuring the privacy and dignity of patients.
The Trust, which runs Colchester and Ipswich hospitals and a range of community health services, is appealing for people who could spare a few hours to sign up to take part in the annual Patient-Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) programme.
They will join a small team who will visit various departments at ESNEFT’s hospitals to check on cleanliness, the quality of food which is being provided and the condition, appearance and maintenance of the buildings. They will also be asked to assess whether staff are ensuring the privacy and dignity of patients and whether the facilities meet dementia-friendly standards, for example by using contrasting colour schemes.
Sam Girling, community facilities site manager with ESNEFT, said: “Making sure our patients can enjoy well-kept, dementia-friendly buildings and good quality food in clean surroundings is a priority for ESNEFT, while maintaining privacy, dignity and wellbeing is also vital. That is why these inspections are so important.
“PLACE helps us to do our very best for our patients by identifying areas of good practice, as well as those where changes could be made.
“We would encourage anyone who has a few hours to spare and would like to get involved to get in touch. We are looking for people of all ages and from diverse backgrounds, and will offer training, lunch, free parking and refreshments. Please contact us if you could help us to make our hospitals even better for our patients.”
Anyone who would like to help will need to be on site between 9am and 3pm. Assessments begin on Monday (17 October) and will span the next six weeks.
For more information or to take part, please contact:
• Sam Girling, on 07984 602447 or sam.girling@esneft.nhs.uk
• Jonathan Welsby, facilities site manager for Ipswich, on 07599 101282 or jonathan.welsby@esneft.nhs.uk
• Yvonne Bathgate, patient experience team, on 07849 574871 or yvonne.bathgate@esneft.nhs.uk.
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