Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment, or PLACE, assessments are an annual appraisal of the non-clinical aspects of NHS and independent/private healthcare settings, undertaken by teams made up of staff and members of the public (known as patient assessors). The team must include a minimum of 2 patient assessors, making up at least 50 per cent of the group.

PLACE assessments provide a framework for assessing quality against common guidelines and standards in order to quantify the facility’s cleanliness, food and hydration provision, the extent to which the provision of care with privacy and dignity is supported, and whether the premises are equipped to meet the needs of people with dementia or with a disability.

The most recent PLACE Assessment results are shown on the NHS England website.