Farleigh Hospice rated good in latest report from CQC

Farleigh Hospice underwent a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection on January 18 and the subsequent report was published last week.

The hospice has received an overall good rating in the safety, effectiveness, responsive and well-led categories, whilst receiving an outstanding grade in the care section of the report.

Farleigh Hospice provides care for any illness considered life-limiting.

This can include cancer, neurological diseases, chronic heart, lung, and renal diseases, with all patients cared for in the home’s inpatient unit and in-home environments.

Location - Farleigh Hospice (Image: Farleigh Hospice)

The hospice’s last routine inspection was carried out in 2016 and its good rating has stayed the same.

The new report said: “We rated it as good because the service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe.

“Staff had training in key skills, they understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well.

"Staff provided outstanding care and treatment, gave patients enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it.”

It was also noted how staff treat patients with compassion and kindness, respect their privacy and dignity and consider their individual needs, whilst also providing emotional support.

Dedicated - a nurse at Farleigh Hospice (Image: Farleigh Hospice)

The report continued: “The service planned innovative care to meet the needs of local people, proactively took account of their patient’s needs and made it easy for them to provide feedback.

“People could access the service when they needed it and leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills.

“The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage its services.”

During the visit, the CQC inspector also spoke to people external to the hospice who use its services.

According to the report, they felt safe, staff knew them well and they felt confident to raise any concerns they had.

Supportive - physiotherapy at Farleigh Hospice (Image: Farleigh Hospice)

They were involved in planning and reviewing care and were asked for feedback regularly.

“Patients felt supported both in the community through continuity of care and into the hospice as an inpatient," the report said.

Alison Gray, registered manager at Farleigh Hospice, said: “We are very pleased with the Care Quality Commission’s overall rating of ‘good’ showing that the hospice is performing well and to expectations across all key areas.

"We are particularly delighted that our commitment to providing exceptional care and support to our patients and their families and carers has been recognised through our ‘outstanding’ rating in the key area of caring.

"This result is due to the hard work and dedication of the entire clinical team and the support of our wider operational and management teams across Farleigh Hospice.”

Sarah Green, chief executive at Farleigh Hospice added: “I am delighted with the outcome as it recognises not only the huge effort that Alison and our clinical teams put into delivering the highest quality of care.

"But also our commitment to planning innovative care that meets the needs of local people, with patients and families actively involved in reviewing and shaping exactly what that care looks like.

"We thank the CQC for its feedback which we will use to ensure that Farleigh Hospice continues to meet the needs and expectations of people affected by life-limiting illnesses and bereavement across mid Essex, now and in the future.”