Hospice gets watchdog's approval (From Brentwood Weekly News)

Hospice gets watchdog's approval

2:57pm Thursday 7th March 2013 in News

ST Francis Hospice has gained the Care Quality Commission seal of approval by securing all five key standards of care in its recent inspection.

A routine unannounced inspection by the commission, which involved an inspector observing care, talking to staff, patients and relatives and reviewing records, took place at the end of January.

The report was published last week and found every required standard of care at the hospice – which is in Havering-atte-Bower but covers Brentwood – was being met.

The five standards that were met were: l The respect and involvement of patients – to ensure they are treated with respect, involved in discussions about their treatment and that they can influence how the service is run.

* The care and welfare of service users – to see they get safe and appropriate care that meets their needs.

* Safeguarding people from abuse.

* Staffing – ensuring there are enough staff to keep people safe and meet their health and welfare needs.

* The quality of service – identifying systems are in place to manage risks and assure the health and safety of patients.

Jane Sutherland, the hospice’s director of patient vare, said: “Our priority at St Francis Hospice is to deliver the best care and support to patients and their relatives and I’m delighted the latest Care Quality Commission inspection demonstrates we are achieving this.

“The staff and volunteers at St Francis Hospice deserve credit for the hard work they put in each day to ensure patients and families receive first-class care.”

The Care Quality Commission is an independent regulator that checks care services like the hospice are meeting national standards for quality and safety.

Patients commented that the service had met or exceeded their expectations and relatives told the inspector “nothing was too much trouble” and they were kept well informed.

The hospice counselling service was described as a “life saver” in helping people cope and one relative who stayed overnight said the hospice was able to provide “an extension of what we have at home” and they felt wholly supported in caring for their partner and maintaining their independence.