Birmingham hospice hailed for 'outstanding' support
The Hospice Charity Partnership’s John Taylor site has been awarded an outstanding rating following a recent inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Health regulators, who visited the Birmingham-based charity unannounced in January, published their report last week in which they praise the hospice for going ‘above and beyond’ to provide expert palliative and end of life care for patients, families and carers.
The Hospice Charity Partnership, formed from Birmingham St Mary’s and John Taylor Hospice, provides services for people across the city including Inpatient Units, specialist community services, complementary therapies, day hospices, bereavement services, and wellbeing and spiritual care.
Sarah Dunnett, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said: “When we inspected John Taylor Hospice, we were extremely impressed by the level of support people received in its care.
“We found staff went above and beyond to honour patient’s wishes at the end of their life, in thoughtful and innovative ways. For example, staff turned an area of the hospice into a beach so someone could have their wish to take their child to the seaside.
"Staff had arranged for sand, ice creams, fish and chips, deckchairs and a photographer so the family could have loving memories.
“This is a great service, providing the best care for people in difficult circumstances. The whole team deserve to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment.”
The inspection team received consistently positive comments from relatives with one family member saying staff treated them as ‘part of the John Taylor family’ and how at a difficult time, it was a ‘wonderful experience’.
Simon Fuller, CEO of The Hospice Charity Partnership, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the CQC’s report and that the inspectors have seen how important a high standard of care is to our charity. Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we are pleased to see that didn’t go unnoticed during our inspection. Our people strive to go the extra mile and do everything they can to support patients and their family members."
Commissioners last visited John Taylor Hospice in May 2016, when they also praised the care provided and found the hospice met the ‘good’ standard in all areas.
A full copy of the report is available at cqc.org.uk
