St Giles Hospice in the West Midlands and Derian House Children’s Hospice in Lancashire are the latest hospices to be rated “outstanding”’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Following inspections in September and October last year, the CQC found that care at Derian House Children’s Hospice is “outstanding”.
The hospice was previously inspected in January 2018 and rated “requires improvement overall”, while caring and responsive were rated “Good”. At the latest inspection significant improvements were reported and it has now been rated “Outstanding” overall, the highest grade awarded by the regulator.
Safe and effective services were rated “Good”; while caring, responsive and well-led services were also rated “Outstanding”.
Judith Connor, CQC’s Head of Hospital Inspection, said: “It is always great to see a service achieve an “Outstanding” rating, but it is impressive when one improves as much as this one has. They clearly took on board our previous findings and have worked hard to provide the best possible care and support.
“We found that people and their families were at the centre of everything the service did, support was always provided by passionate, caring and empathetic staff who worked to meet people’s individual needs. There was a holistic approach to the support provided and a deep understanding of people’s emotional needs, so distress could be minimised. Leaders were committed to ensuring a high-quality care culture and acted on their vision for child-centred care. Staff were supported to develop in their roles and valued as a key part of the service.
“We also found the service using innovative practises to support people in the community and responded quickly to people’s changing needs. Feedback from people and their families was consistently positive and confirmed the caring and compassionate care we saw.
“This service has shown that sustainable improvements can be made and made well. Congratulations on achieving an “Outstanding” rating, well done.”
Meanwhile St Giles Hospice received praise for its “compassionate” range of speciality services. Inspectors highlighted how staff treated patients, families and their carers with dignity and kindness, stating: “People were truly respected and valued as individuals. They were empowered as partners in their care, practically and emotionally, by an exceptional and distinctive service.”
Jo Maidment, Chair of Trustees at St Giles Hospice, said: “We know that our staff and volunteers strive to deliver outstanding care every day, but to have this acknowledged by the CQC is truly wonderful and a very exciting start to 2020!
“On behalf of our Senior Management Team and Board of Trustees, I would like to say a massive thank you and congratulations to each and every member of our St Giles family.”
St Giles staff were also commended by the CQC for aiming to “make every day meaningful for people who used the service” and “consistently displaying determination and creativity” in delivering care.
The hospice was noted for going “over and above what was expected of them”, having previously hosted several weddings and arranging for a patient’s pet horse to visit, with one member of staff spending three days of her own time writing family ‘goodbye letters’ for a patient who was unable to do this.
Commenting on the report, Dr Emma Hodges, Chief Executive of St Giles Hospice, said: “I am absolutely delighted that everyone involved in making St Giles such an excellent charity has received the recognition they deserve from the CQC.
“This fantastic achievement is testament to the hard work, compassion and unwavering commitment of our staff, volunteers and not forgetting, our loyal supporters – without whom this would not have been possible.”
She added: “Whether you generously give your time, money or skills to St Giles, we hope that you will continue to help us to provide outstanding care in the future. “We’re outstanding, because you’re outstanding. Thank you!”
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