Hospice celebrates Outstanding CQC rating

A hospice has been rated ‘Outstanding’ following an inspection recognising the compassion, dignity and quality of care provided to patients and families.

Teesside Hospice received the rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after an inspection in June covering its range of services.

These include its ten-bed inpatient unit, Wellbeing Centre, Bereavement Counselling Service and Lymphoedema Clinic.

The hospice achieved Outstanding ratings in four of the five assessment areas – effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Inspectors spoke with people using its services, who praised their experiences, while staff were described as going “above and beyond” in delivering everyday care.

The CQC also highlighted the hospice’s communication with patients and families, alongside its role within the wider Teesside community.

Its efforts to reach disadvantaged groups and develop new approaches to meeting growing demand for care were also recognised.

Gill Hodgson-Reilly, CQC deputy director of operations in the North East, said: “When we inspected Teesside Hospice, we found an exceptional service where staff and leaders worked hard to provide the best possible care to people at the end of their lives. 

“Kind and caring staff understood people’s needs and went the extra mile to help make their time at the hospice comfortable and happy. 

“Leaders had an exceptional understanding of the service they managed and ensured people were given the best possible care. 

“Staff told us leaders were consistently approachable, even out of hours and we saw leaders engage with people attending the service during our visit.

Gill added: “Leaders and staff should be very proud of the findings in this report. 

“It’s clear the service was committed to treating people as individuals ensuring their wellbeing and needs were fully met. 

“Other services should look to this report to see if there’s anything to learn from it.”

Officials say the result reflects the organisation’s commitment to ensuring patients and their families receive compassionate and dignified support when they need it most.

The rating follows a rigorous assessment of care standards across the hospice’s services and recognises its continued work to respond to changing needs across Teesside.

Heather Stuart, group director of nursing and quality at Teesside Hospice, added: “This is an exceptional reflection of the commitment, professionalism, and compassion demonstrated across all teams. 

“To read in the report that inspectors recognised how our department heads and teams really embodied the culture of improving our services and values of our organisation really stands out.  

“The whole hospice team – whether that’s nursing and clinical staff, housekeepers and cooks, or the admin teams who keep everything running smoothly – go the extra mile every single day and to have that recognised is a huge honour.

“I’m so proud of the whole team and know that they will do all they can to continue to reach such a high standard of care.”

Mike Thornicroft, chief executive of Teesside Hospice, added: “I’m so incredibly proud that our Teesside Hospice team has been rated Outstanding following the CQC inspection.

“On behalf of myself, our senior leadership team and board of trustees, I want to thank every person who has made this possible, for their exceptional care, passion and dedication to our cause. 

“And we want to keep building on this, continuing to innovate and reach even more people across the region to ensure that nobody in Teesside has to die without proper end of life care and support.”

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