Top marks for Trust following inspection

Rochdale Infirmary

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has been awarded top marks by patients and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) for the food service provided for patients, privacy and dignity given, and the overall cleanliness of the hospital environment, in a yearly inspection.

The results of the hospital Patient Environment Action Teams (PEAT) Inspections carried out earlier this year, have just been announced. The Trust, which runs Rochdale Infirmary , The Royal Oldham Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital and Fairfield General Hospital, achieved an ‘excellent’ rating for its food across all sites.

All four hospitals were also awarded ‘good’ for the other two key areas of privacy and dignity and environment which cover cleanliness and quality of accommodation.

The NPSA requires trusts to carry out Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) inspections each year. Unannounced PEAT inspection teams review NHS hospitals in England for their standards in areas such as cleanliness, hand hygiene, quality of accommodation and food from the perspective of the patient.

The inspection covers cleanliness, specifically wards, with a particular emphasis on bathrooms and toilets, and clinical departments as well as stairways, lifts and the outside environment. There is also an assessment made of décor, lighting, security and general maintenance.

Privacy and dignity is also assessed against a number of criteria, along with aspects of infection control specifically around hand wash basin availability and the availability of alcohol gel.

Pam Miller, associate director of facilities for Pennine Acute Trust, said: “The outcomes of these inspections have highlighted some excellent standards across our hospitals, with fantastic scores for a number of our wards and departments. This is really good news and is an improvement on our inspection from last year which is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our staff. All our staff, from cleaners and chefs to nurses, work hard to ensure that our patients’ stay is as comfortable as it can be and their experience is a good one.”

PEAT inspections took place across the Trust in January and February 2011. Patient representatives attended each of the inspections. The Trust also received an independent validation check.