A hospice in Harrow has been rated good and exited special measures, after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found significant improvements had been made, following an inspection in April.
St Luke’s Hospice, which provides specialist end of life and palliative care to people in Harrow and Brent, was previously rated inadequate.
The latest inspection was carried out to assess whether the service had addressed areas of concern regarding the quality and safety of its patient care.
As well as being rated good overall, the service also improved its ratings for being safe from inadequate to good, and for being effective from requires improvement to good.
The service improved its rating for being well-led from inadequate to requires improvement. It was already rated good for being caring and responsive to people’s needs.
Nicola Wise. CQC's head of hospital inspection said:
“I was pleased to see the levels of improvement at St Luke’s Hospice, which is good news for everyone being cared for there. The service listened to CQC’s concerns and has worked hard to rectify the issues raised.
“Infection risk was now controlled well, and the monitoring of patients’ pain had also improved, to ensure people received pain relief in a timely manner.
“I was also pleased to see the service now had a defibrillator and other emergency equipment on the premises that were fit for purpose, and that improvements had been made to ensure medicines were being prescribed and administered safely.
“The culture at the service had improved and staff told us they felt respected, supported and valued.
“We found leaders were visible to patients, their relatives and staff – and there was a good level of communication between them all.
“To improve an overall rating from inadequate to good is a significant achievement, and I congratulate staff and managers at the hospice for all their hard work to deliver safer care for people.”
The latest inspection found:
- The provider had complied with the warning notices it received when it first went into special measures in October 2021, and it had ensured its care and treatment were safe, and that its governance improved.
- Infection risks were controlled well.
- Equipment and the premises were clean, well-maintained and safe.
- All staff had completed mandatory training in key skills.
- Systems and processes had been put in place to safely prescribe and manage medicines.
- Patients were now assessed and monitored by staff so pain relief was given in a timely way.
- Staff kept detailed records of patients’ care and treatment.
- There were enough staff to keep people safe.
- Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients and advised them how to lead healthier lives.
- Patients were supported to make decisions about their care, and they had access to good information.
- Leaders and staff actively and openly engaged with patients, staff and the public.
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