Published on: Monday 23 Mar 2020 at 14:02
Hospice delighted to receive highest rating from Care Quality Commission
St Clare Hospice is delighted that, following the visit by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in December 2019, we have been awarded the highest rating of ‘Outstanding’ by the health and social care regulator.
On 3rd and 11th December 2019, the CQC carried out unannounced, routine inspections of the hospice. The inspection involved speaking to 18 members of staff, including registered nurses, health care assistants, reception staff, medical staff, along with two patients and one relative. The inspectors also reviewed our records and procedures.
Today, Monday 23rd March 2020, the CQC has published its report on that inspection in which it rated St Clare Hospice’s services as ‘Outstanding’ overall. This is an improved rating since our last inspection, which took place in October 2016 when we were rated ‘Good’ overall.
In assessing services, the CQC looks at five key areas, whether services are: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. It gives a rating to each with an overall rating awarded too. The ratings awarded to St Clare Hospice for each of those areas are:
- Safe – Good (same as previous inspection)
- Effective – Good (same as previous inspection)
- Caring – Outstanding (improved since the previous inspection)
- Responsive – Outstanding (improved since the previous inspection)
- Well-led – Good (same as previous inspection)
In their report the CQC praised the ‘outstanding care’ staff provided to patients, saying ‘the staff always treated them with compassion and kindness and respecting their privacy and dignity’; the innovative care planned to meet the needs of local people; and the commitment, by all staff, to continually improving services.
The author of the report, Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Heidi Smoult, praised the “strong visible patient-centred culture” saying that, “all staff we spoke with told us that … they were proud to work for the hospice.” whilst patients and family members said staff ‘went beyond what was expected when providing care and support.’
Commenting on the care provided, Heidi Smoult said: “People who use services are active partners in their care. Staff are fully committed to working in partnership with people and making this a reality for each person. Staff always empower people who use the service to have a voice and to realise their potential. They show determination and creativity to overcome obstacles to delivering care.”
Highlighting the responsiveness of the service, Heidi Smoult said: “The hospice had identified where people’s needs and choices were not being met if they were unable to access services easily and used this information to improve and develop services.” Heidi added: “The hospice provided and reflected the needs of the population it served and promoted flexibility, choice and continuity of care.”
Commenting on the CQC result, Carolanne Brannan, St Clare Hospice’s Director of Patient Care, said: “The people and families we serve are at the centre of everything we do at St Clare, and to be recognised as ‘Outstanding’ by the national regulator is testament to the dedication, hard work, care and compassion of everyone who works and volunteers with us.”
“In the difficult times that we are all working in at the moment, we are delighted to be able to share some good news with our community. We will, of course, endeavour to continue to provide our patients with outstanding care over the coming weeks and months.”
“We are extremely proud to have been recognised for our outstanding care, and to achieve this in the same year as our 30th birthday feels very fitting. When we were founded in 1990 our vision was to provide the best care for people at the end of their life, and this inspection shows that this vision is still being fulfilled today.”
“We are committed to continual improvement and will be reviewing the CQC’s report in detail so we can improve, in the future, to work towards an outstanding rating in all areas. We welcome the scrutiny of the CQC in ensuring that hospices across the country are caring, safe, effective, responsive and well-led and that they put patients and their families at the heart of the care they provide.”