Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE), 2024 - England

This document comprises the data quality report for the 2024 release of annual figures from the Patient Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) Programme. The statistics included in this release are the latest available figures, based on assessments conducted between September and December 2024.

Results are collected online via the Estates and Facilities Management (EFM) System. Analysis and manipulation in order to present results was carried out using a range of software including MS Excel, MS Power BI, and reporting tools within EFM.

The products included in the release are:

Data report containing scores at site and organisation level (MS Excel)

Underlying data (csv format) containing all collection data except where information could be used to infer detail about patient assessors.

Metadata – supporting information for csv files (MS Excel)

Interactive report (Power BI)

Data quality report (Web pages)

This data quality report aims to provide users with an evidence-based assessment of the quality of the statistical output of the accompanying publication products by reporting against those of the European Statistical System (ESS) quality and related dimensions and principles^[1] appropriate to this output. 

In doing so, this meets our obligation to comply with the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) Code of Practice for Statistics², particularly the ‘Quality’ pillar, which states:

Producers of statistics and data should explain clearly how they assure themselves that statistics and data are accurate, reliable, coherent and timely.

[1] The original quality dimensions were: Relevance; Accuracy and Reliability; Timeliness and Punctuality; Accessibility and Clarity; and Coherence and Comparability. These are set out in Eurostat Statistical Law.

However more recent quality guidance from Eurostat included some additional quality principles on: Output Quality Trade-Offs; Users Needs and Perceptions; Performance Cost and Respondent Burden; and Confidentiality, Transparency and Security.

² UKSA Code of Practice for Statistics

The PLACE programme was introduced in April 2013 to replace the Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) assessments, which ran from 2000-2012. Further information on the PEAT programme can be accessed here: Patient Environment Action Team.

The scope and content of PLACE assessments was initially determined by the NHS Quality Board and a sub-group of the Board, and through consultations and discussions with patient/public representative bodies and professional organisations. Following completion of the 2016 programme a review was undertaken to seek views from both staff and patient assessors. A comprehensive national review was conducted which started in 2018 and concluded in 2019 to ensure the collection and outputs remain fit for purpose, deliver its aims and continues to meet user needs. The review resulted in a significant revision and refinement of the question set; the 2019 results establish a new baseline and are not comparable with previously published figures.  PLACE was paused during the coronavirus pandemic (2020-2021) but resumed in 2022 with a refined question set and guidance.

Relevance will continue to be monitored through post collection review each year via a voluntary survey issued to staff and patient assessors. All feedback received during the collection process is also considered. Feedback is jointly discussed with the collection’s sponsors (NHS England Estates Policy Leads within the Commercial Directorate) and changes to the process and/or the assessment content is subject to sponsor approval.

The PLACE publication report consists of tables, charts and commentary showing the results at England, regional, organisational and site level. Various products are offered to cater for a wide range of users (see Introduction section).

Metadata is also provided to support analysts making use of our site and organisation level data or the more granular underlying datasets provided in .csv format (which contain all question responses recorded during the assessment period).

The main report is presented as interactive analysis in Power BI format for users who wish to explore the PLACE data in a variety of ways. It allows for comparisons on a regional and local basis and incorporates historical data too.  This report supercedes the PowerPoint report following an ONS public consultation on healthcare statistics and includes most of the information from the PowerPoint report we used to produce as part of the PLACE release. Anything not covered by this report has been moved to the data report (national, site type, and regional average scores) or these Data Quality pages.