Ealing Hospital has again been awarded a coveted ‘excellent’ rating for the quality of its food and a ‘good’ rating for standards of cleanliness following a nationwide inspection.
For the third year running, the Trust has made a very strong showing in both the quality of food served to staff and patients, and improving the overall environment of wards and departments.
The returns for 2008 follow visits by independent Patient Environment Action Teams (PEATS). These teams were set up in 2000 to assess NHS hospitals’ standards of food and the environment.
They are made up of other NHS staff including nurses, matrons, doctors, catering and domestic service managers, estates managers, and patients and patient representatives.
The weighting process also incorporates hospital scores against the National Specification for Cleanliness. This means that the assessment contains an element relating to year-round cleanliness and not just for the days of inspection.
Trust Chief Executive, Julie Lowe, said: “These scores, which follow a detailed inspection by independent adjudicators, reflect the great efforts staff are making to improve the cleanliness of the hospital and the quality of our food.
“Our staff are still making great strides in controlling hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C.diff) and we continue to refurbish wards and improve departments.
“It is also extremely encouraging to see our food being rated excellent for the third time. We are listening carefully to what our patients say about the food they are served and have been making changes – for instance including yoghurts on the ward menus – based upon their comments and suggestions.”
