Noah’s Ark – The Childrens Hospice has been rated outstanding following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January and February.
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice service provides clinical support for 350 children and young people and their families in north central and north west London. The service provides both inpatient and community support.
The hospice was previously rated as good overall and inspectors found that leadership and staff had worked extremely hard to ensure people were receiving exemplary care.
Following the inspection, the service was rated outstanding overall and for being caring and responsive. It was rated good for being safe, effective and well-led.
Jane Ray, CQC deputy director of operations in London, said:
“When we inspected Noah’s Ark – The Childrens Hospice, we were extremely impressed by what staff had done to take this service from good to outstanding since we last inspected.
“The service really understood what children and young people as well as their families needed, both clinically, and emotionally at a really difficult time in their lives.
“Staff understood and respected the personal, cultural, social, and religious needs of people and how it may relate to their care needs. For example the hospice offered a multifaith room with access to different religious artefacts and they had links with local religious leaders who could attend the Ark if families requested support from them.
“The hospice provided clinical space for doctors to come and visit children and their families instead of them having to travel to the hospital. Families told us how much their children valued this service, helping them to feel more comfortable.
“There was a culture where children and their families were truly respected and treated as individuals with staff going the extra mile to ensure their emotional and practical needs were always met. They were looked after by a strong team who had a focus on openness, transparency and learning when things go wrong.
“One of the things that made this service exceptional, was how it also understood how difficult this time could be not just for people using the service but their loved ones, and they did what they could to make things easier. For example they organised a creative therapy programme with several partner agencies to support siblings who were experiencing loss and grief.
“We are very pleased to award the service an outstanding rating and the whole team deserve to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment. We would urge other services to read this report and see what they can learn from this outstanding example.”
CQC inspectors found:
- There was a strong, visible person-centred culture. Staff were motivated and inspired to offer care that was kind and promoted people’s dignity.
- Relationships between children and young people who use the service, their loved ones, and staff were strong, caring, respectful and supportive.
- Staff were discreet and responsive.
- Staff gave children, young people and their families highly personalised help, emotional support and advice when they needed it.
- Staff decorated bedrooms and bereavement suites that reflected the children’s personalities and their family’s needs such as decorating rooms with their favourite sports team or animals. One family told inspectors how staff had decorated a room full of specific LED lights for a child that told them how much they liked them in another location.
- Staff talked with children, young people, and their families in a way they could understand, using communication aids where necessary.
- The service worked flexibly to meet the needs of families who needed it most. They could offer day or overnight respite care with space for families to stay as well.