The Care Quality Commission has rated the quality of care provided by Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire as Outstanding.
Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice provides palliative care services to children and young people from across Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield and is one of the first social care services of its kind to receive the top rating under CQC’s new approach to the inspection.
During an unannounced inspection in August 2014, CQC inspectors found that children using the service were receiving care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led, from staff who were highly compassionate and delivered individualised care.
A full report of the inspection has been published on the CQC website.
Inspectors noted how staff were dedicated and passionate about their role in caring for the children they supported and that care was provided to an extremely high standard in a child centered environment.
Staff were focused on enhancing the quality of life for children and their families and were extremely knowledgeable about children and families immediate needs. One parent told inspectors “Whatever you want, they do their utmost to fulfil that need.”
Staff were personally matched with individual families depending upon the need and skills required and robust and regular specialist training was offered to all staff. The chief executive demonstrated clear goals for the development of the service with emphasis on ensuring quality experiences for children and their families.
Care plans for each child were incredibly detailed and included information about their individual needs. In addition every child had their own ‘play passport’ showing their personal play preferences.
Families views were gathered regularly using surveys, focus groups and informally during stays and visits. Feedback from families was published in the hospice birthday magazine, a family internet facility had been developed to include a praises and grumbles section and families’ views were used to shape the development of the service.
Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care in the North, said:
“We found that Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice was providing an outstanding service to the children it supported and to their families, and the team there should be extremely proud of the work they do.
“The support provided was designed not just to meet the child’s needs, but also to the whole family. Private accommodation within the hospice was available to families to use and counselling and bereavement services offered emotional support.
“We know how rewarding it is to work in such a service, and we were struck by the extent to which the hospice places the children at the heart of everything it does. More than anything else, the way in which the staff team are led to think of each child as a unique individual and respond accordingly, is why this hospice has received the highest rating we can give.”
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For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Manager Kirstin Hannaford on 0191 233 3629.
For media enquiries, call the CQC press office on 020 7448 9401 during office hours or out of hours on 07789 876508. For general enquiries, call 03000 61 61 61.
We know how rewarding it is to work in such a service, and we were struck by the extent to which the hospice places the children at the heart of everything it does.
Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care in the North