The Royal Surrey Is The PLACE to Receive Dementia Treatment

Published on: 5 Sep, 2017
Updated on: 6 Sep, 2017

The Royal Surrey County Hospital

The Royal Surrey County Hospital has been named the best PLACE for dementia patients to receive treatment in the county, according to a patient led survey.

The hospital topped the table of acute hospitals in Surrey for the way its environment supports the care of those suffering from the disease. The survey was part of the annual Patient-led assessment of care environment (PLACE), which saw 1,230 assessments carried out across 279 organisations to help drive improvements in the care environment.

The Royal Surrey was rated alongside other hospitals, hospices and day treatment centres and its scores also place it above the national average in all sections of the survey.

The assessment, focussed entirely on the care environment, involved volunteers visiting hospitals as part of teams to examine how the environment supports patients’ privacy and dignity, food, cleanliness and general building maintenance.

Louise Stead, director of nursing and patient experience, said: “We recognise that it is estimated that by 2021 the number of people living with dementia in the UK will have increased to around one million and we are doing all we can to ensure that our care environment supports those living with the condition.

“The assessment is carried out by our most important critics, our patients, and I am sure that those living with dementia and their families will take a great deal of comfort in the knowledge that they think we are the best environment in Surrey for this vulnerable group of patients.”

Alf Turner, director of human resources and business support, added: “I am delighted that we continue to perform well in the PLACE assessment.

“In the last year we have been working closely with the catering team to improve the food provision and this has been reflected in an improvement in our score.

“We recognise that we still have work to do, but continue to make progress.

“We are working with our partners to investigate further opportunities for improvement, including an increase of menu variety and choice.”