Hospital scores well in on the spot inspection

3:54pm Saturday 8th March 2008

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TWO assessments have yielded excellent results for Warrington Hospital in the last month.

The first, an annual check by the Patient Environment Action Team, PEAT, awarded the hospital more than 50 excellent' ratings and almost 190 good' ratings.

“We need to understand how our prioritising affects other areas. We need to make sure that, when we do things on one hand, we are not disadvantaging another area"

Chief executive of the board, Catherine Beardshaw

The worst rating it got was poor', rather predictably for parking, said head of patient services Mike Atkinson at a hospital trust board meeting.

PEAT runs checks on the hospital environment, food, privacy and dignity.

The check, which took place on February 13, scored the hospital well on cleaning and tidiness, but there was some variation on standards of decor.

Wards which had been deep cleaned scored well and food services were generally excellent, the report said.

Confidentiality was slightly pulled down because there was a room left open with patient information on display, Mike Atkinson said.

The surgical wards and clinics grazed an acceptable' rating because of the slight breaches in confidentiality.

"We need to understand how our prioritising affects other areas," said chief executive of the board, Catherine Beardshaw.

"We need to make sure that, when we do things on one hand, we are not disadvantaging another area," she said.

The board was told about another assessment, this one an unannounced spot check by the Healthcare Commission.

The Healthcare Commission team arrived for the inspection on January 31. The hospital received their draft report on February 11.

The hospital was being tested on its infection control techniques, its cleanliness and providing isolation facilities.

The full results have not been released as they are still subject to the potential of change, said head of nursing Kathryn Holbourn at the meeting.

However the hospital did meet all duties except for its auditing programme.

But this had already been identified and is part of the plan for 2008/09, said Mrs Holbourn.