Assessors have rated the food at West Suffolk Hospital as “excellent” for the second year running following a visit by the Patient Environment Action Team.

During their visit, the team tested the food on its quality and quantity and whether it was hot and served on clean, un-chipped crockery. The Bury St Edmunds hospital received the highest rating from the PEAT team for their culinary work.

Privacy and dignity were also assessed and checked and included patients receiving access to information, facilities to wash in private and examinations happening out of sight of the other patients. The environment of the hospital was rated on its cleanliness, lighting, d�cor, flooring, bathrooms and patient areas. The trust received a overall “good” for the cleanliness and privacy that they provide.

Stephen Graves, chief executive of the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are pleased to have once again scored well in the annual PEAT assessment and would like to congratulate our staff and thank them for their hard work. The quality of food which patients receive while in hospital can have a big impact on their recovery, so we are delighted to have scored top marks in this area once again.

“We value this sort of feedback as it helps highlight areas where we are performing well and those where we could improve still further.”