A clean sweep of improvements in our 2025 PLACE results

We have made significant improvements in the 2025 Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE).

PLACE, or the Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment, is a national assessment that evaluates the quality of hospital environments from a patient perspective. It looks at areas such as cleanliness, food, privacy and dignity, the condition of buildings and how well services support people with dementia or disabilities, helping organisations understand where they are performing well and where further improvements are needed.

Our 2025 results mark a strong recovery from 2024, when we recognised concerns highlighted through our PLACE scores and committed to taking meaningful, sustained action.

Over the past year cleanliness across the site has improved significantly, supported by investment in our Facilities workforce via reflective sessions, updated training, additional team support and the introduction of strengthened audit processes. Food services have also advanced, with the introduction of new menus, including dementia-friendly finger food options, alongside enhancements to ward-level service and hydration support.

Wider estate improvements, including flooring replacements and wall repairs, have enhanced the overall condition and appearance of our estate. Meaningful progress has also been made in dementia and disability accessibility through improved signage, clearer wayfinding with better colour contrast, and other upgrades to create a more inclusive environment.

The 2025 data shows an increase in satisfaction rates in nearly all areas:

• Cleanliness: Up 6.7% from 92.94% to 99.64%
• Overall food score: Up 6.67% from 79.65% to 86.32%, with ward food increasing by 11.78% and organisational food falling compared to last year’s score but still maintaining the national average.
• Privacy, dignity and well-being: Up 18.35% from 71.07% to 89.42%
• Condition, appearance and maintenance: Up 7.01% from 90.32% to 97.33%
• Dementia-friendly: Up 15.76% from 75.79% to 91.55%
• Disability-friendly: Up 16.52% from 76.73% to 93.25%

The progress made this year has been recognised in more ways than the PLACE results alone. Throughout the year, colleagues, visitors, patients and service users have shared positive feedback highlighting and commending the hard work of our facilities teams.

One colleague said: “This note has been long overdue, but I felt it was important to take the time to express my sincere appreciation for the remarkable changes the Facilities team has brought to Whittington Hospital. Having worked here for several years, I have been able to witness first-hand the positive transformation that has taken place since your new systems and ways of working were introduced.”

Ewerton Soares, Head of Facilities, said:
“We listened carefully to feedback and focused on practical improvements that patients would notice every day. I am incredibly proud of our facilities teams, who have worked tirelessly to raise standards across the Trust and ensure the environment reflects the dedication and care they bring to their roles.”

Thank you and congratulations to all our Facilities colleagues who have worked incredibly hard to make these improvements happen.