Patient Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) 2025

What is PLACE?

PLACE assessments focus on the environment in which NHS funded care is delivered and is undertaken at hospitals of all sizes (including mental health hospitals). It helps organisations understand how well they are meeting the needs of their patients and identify where improvements can be made. 

PLACE focuses exclusively on the environment in which care is delivered but does not cover the treatment people receive.

PLACE 2025 

During October and November 2025, Healthwatch staff and volunteers visited 13 locations across East Sussex to conduct PLACE assessments. 

During the visits, positive observations included:

• As several patient assessors have taken part in PLACE activity annually, they fed back that most sites had taken action on feedback provided during visits in previous years.
• Across a number of sites, we observed improvements to signage, making wayfinding across sites easier for patients and visitors.
• At the majority of visits, the food tasted was received positively.

• At a few of the sites, storage space was observed as being limited and not always enough for the services requirements.
• Some outside areas, including pathways, were observed as being tired, with work needed to level paving slabs, update decor, repair damage, manage green spaces etc.
• Flooring could also be an issue inside some sites, with shiny floors observed that may be unsuitable for patients with dementia. 

Moving forward 

• HWES intend to take part in PLACE assessments next year (2026) to continue to see how the feedback is being used to make improvements to the sites.

Read our full summary below.