The care given by staff at Zoe’s Place in Middlesbrough has been rated officially outstanding, making the hospice one of the first social care services to receive the top rating under a new inspection regime.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited the Normanby hospice for children with life-limiting illnesses in August, and said the staff there “should be extremely proud of the work they do”.
During the inspection, CQC inspectors found that children using the service were receiving care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, from staff who were compassionate and delivered individualised care.
Inspectors noted how staff interacted with the children and their families, with one parent telling them: “The staff give amazing support”.
Staff working at the hospice fully understood the needs of the children in their care and staff were supported and encouraged to attend additional training, said the report.
For example, additional training had been undertaken in child bereavement, tracheostomy care, pain awareness, epilepsy, and autism.
In particular, staff had an excellent knowledge of each child’s dietary requirements, with a dietician providing advice for all children to ensure their nutritional needs were fully catered for.
Staff at the hospice had open access to the paediatric day unit and ward at James Cook University Hospital, meaning appointments did not need to be made for a child to be seen by a medical professional at short notice.
Care plans for each child were detailed and included information not only about individual medical history and care needs, but also preferences, likes and dislikes and how they liked to play.
Inspectors saw that staff had completed a holiday diary for one child who had respite care at the time of the inspection. Circumstances had prevented the child from going on holiday with their parents and to compensate for this, staff kept a diary of all the fun activities the child had taken part in.
Debbie Westhead, deputy chief inspector for adult social care in the North, said: “We found that Zoe’s Place 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.
“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.
“The support provided was designed not just to meet the child’s needs, but also to support parents and siblings.”
Head of Care Michelle Larkin said she was delighted with the news.
She said: “We’re over the moon. As head of care I inspect the care regularly and I know it’s good, but to have three inspectors come in and put the rubber stamp on it is wonderful.
“It was a very thorough inspection. They spoke not only to staff but also to parents, away from the hospice, so they would have the opportunity to say if there was anything they were unhappy with.
“You don’t get any better than an outstanding rating from the CQC.
“I have to say, all credit goes to my team for the work they do on a day to day basis.”
To see the full CQC report visit http://bit.ly/1y7JbjO
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