Patients rated hospitals’ ability to meet the needs of dementia sufferers as significantly lower than other factors necessary for a safe, clean environment, a Health and Social Care Information Centre report published today revealed.
Patients rated hospitals’ ability to meet the needs of dementia sufferers as significantly lower than other factors necessary for a safe, clean environment, a Health and Social Care Information Centre report published today revealed.
There were 1,333 Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE), which rated hospitals in terms of their cleanliness; food and hydration; privacy, dignity and wellbeing; condition, appearance and maintenance; and whether the premises are equipped to meet the needs of dementia sufferers.
The national average rating for the dementia category was 74.51%, which is significantly lower than the ratings in each of the other categories.
The national average for cleanliness was rated highly at 97.57%; condition, appearance and maintenance was 90.11%; food and hydration was 88.49%, and privacy, dignity and wellbeing was rated at 86.03%, a slight drop from 2014 which was 87.73%.
The dementia assessment focused on flooring, decor and signage, but also includes other things such as the availability of handrails and appropriate seating and, to a lesser extent, food.
The report recommends that organisations undertake their own, more comprehensive assessments using one of the recognised environmental assessment tools available, looking at a fuller range of issues for dementia patients and how their hospital or health centre meets their needs.
See the full report here.
