Healthwatch visits Mill View Hospital as part of the PLACE programme

Healthwatch Brighton and Hove took part in the national Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) programme and visited Mill View Hospital in November 2024. Four trained volunteers assessed the environment across several mental health wards, including Pavilion, Caburn and Meridian. Overall, they found a clean and well-managed setting where patient wellbeing appeared to be taken seriously and where staff were supportive and cooperative throughout the visit. 

Volunteers reported that the hospital was generally clean and well looked after, although parts of the building appeared tired and would benefit from maintenance. Examples included worn skirting boards, tired-looking walls and areas requiring decoration. Some toilet facilities were also difficult to clean fully because of their design, despite staff efforts. 

A positive finding was the visible increase in leisure and activity provision on the wards compared with previous visits. Volunteers observed activities taking place in several areas and also noted that previous concerns about smoking immediately outside the main entrance had largely been addressed.

Food quality was generally rated positively. Volunteers praised the quality of vegetables and several main meal options, noting an improvement from the previous year, when there had been greater reliance on deep-fried and processed foods. The only significant issue identified during the tasting was an undercooked quiche, which was returned to the kitchen. Overall, Healthwatch concluded that Mill View provided a clean and supportive environment, with improvements evident since its previous PLACE assessment.