Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment or PLACE

Good environments matter. Every NHS patient should be cared for with compassion and dignity in a clean, safe environment. Where standards fall short, they should be able to draw it to the attention of managers and hold the service to account. PLACE assessments will provide motivation for improvement by providing a clear message, directly from patients, about how the environment or services might be enhanced. April 2013 saw the introduction of PLACE, which is the system for assessing the quality of the patient environment, replacing the old Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) inspections. The assessments primarily apply to hospitals and hospices providing NHS-funded care in both the NHS and private/independent sectors but others are also encouraged and helped to participate in the programme. The PLACE collection underwent a national review, which started in 2018 and concluded in summer 2019. The question set has been significantly refined and revised, and guidance documents have been updated. The review ensures that the collection remains relevant and delivers its aims. As the changes have been extensive, it is important to note that the results of the 2019 assessments will not be comparable to earlier collections.