Surveys produce mixed results for Leeds hospitals

Two separate investigations into Leeds hospitals have led to varied conclusions with one saying that cleanliness and food were excellent while another claimed that improvements were needed.

The first, more positive report, was carried out by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Patient Environmental Action Team, and found that standards in both cleanliness and food had improved across all sites in the trust, including Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s Hospital. However Estates and facilities director, Mick Taylor, said that cleaning standards, despite the improvement, were still a cause for concern within the trust and that an action plan was being developed.

The other report, by the health watchdog the Care Quality Commission, looked into the standards of dignity and nutrition for the elderly and made an unannounced visit to two wards at Chapel Allerton Hospital in Leeds. The report said that while the hospital was meeting the essential standards of quality, there were some minor concerns, including one part, quoting: “People who use the service are not always assured that they will be provided with respect, dignity and privacy...at all times during their stay in hospital”.

A spokesman for the trust said: “A report outlining how we intend to continue to meet these standards and provide the level of care our patients expect when they are admitted to our hospitals has been provided to the CQC.”