In a speech to the NHS in the North West, Health Minister Andy Burnham reiterated his continued determination to make improvements to patients’ environments a priority.
Standards of cleanliness and food were inspected, with both areas showing sustained progress. Liverpool’s Alder Hey hospital improved from a rating of “good” in both areas in 2005 to “excellent” in 2006 while both the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and the Birmingham Women’s Hospital maintained their rating of “excellent”.
Andy Burnham said: “The vast majority of patients tell us that their experiences in the NHS are good ones and these encouraging PEAT scores are a good indication that we are on the right track. “However, we are not complacent. I want to continually drive up standards for the small proportion of those reporting bad experiences and poor standards and see even more hospitals achieving higher ratings.”
Asking the NHS to factor improvements into their future plans, he said: “How many patients’ initial views of the hospital and the treatment they may receive may have been set by their first encounter with anout- of date bathroom or toilet in need of a good clean?” He added that while such standards were not directly responsible for many healthcare associated infections, “none of us would recommend a hotel or B&B that had such standards.”
He continued: “There is no shortage of NHS capital available for these improvements. Don’t leave these refurbishments for later – our patients deserve a better deal now.”
