Updated 11 November 2025
We assessed the Hospice Service for Adults assessment service group at this location.
We rated the service as good. The service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations. Governance processes and practice have improved.
Willow Burn has been registered with the CQC since 2011 and the 6-bedded inpatient wing opened in 2018. It is registered to provide the following regulated activity: Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
The service was last inspected in July 2016 under CQC’s old methodology and was rated as Good overall. The key questions of Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive were all rated Good. Well Led was rated Requires Improvement. At that time staff had told us they felt supported by their colleagues but there was not an established programme for supervision and support. There had previously been a period when no registered manager was employed, but a registered manager had been appointed at the time of that assessment.
This was a comprehensive unannounced assessment (the hospice did not know we were coming). The onsite assessment was undertaken on 19 August 2025. A specialist advisor accompanied 2 CQC inspectors onsite, supported by an operations manager offsite. The onsite visit was followed by staff and manager interviews on 27 August 2025 and a review of information requested by CQC and sent to us by the hospice. We spoke with 14 members of staff (including the chief executive officer, the palliative care consultant, managers, nurses, nursing assistants, housekeepers, a trustee, a chaplain, administrative staff and volunteers. We spoke with 1 patient, 2 relatives and carers, and we reviewed 4 sets of patient records. We reviewed 6 staff personnel files, 1 trustee file, and 1 volunteer file.
There were no breaches of regulation found at this assessment and previous breaches from 2016 had been addressed. There was an experienced registered manager in post and the leadership team supported and enabled staff to provide safe care.
The service aims to improve patients' quality of life from diagnosis, during treatment, and throughout their last days. The service also supports people important to patients.
As an independent registered charity, Willow Burn inpatient service has 4 beds commissioned by the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) with a further 2 beds available for people requiring long-term, continuing healthcare. The number of funded beds can be increased to 6 when necessary and can provide a rapid response to urgent referrals. The service relies on donations and gifts in wills for the remainder of its income.
The inpatient unit can accommodate up to 6 patients in single occupancy ensuite rooms. Each room has a patio and views over extensive gardens and countryside. The service has facilities which include dedicated family areas and a lounge with a kitchen. There is a café open to all, a large communal lounge and dining area, treatment rooms, private meeting rooms, and gardens.
People's experience of the service:
Willow Burn provided nurse-led care, advice, counselling, support, symptom control, and treatment to patients following a life limiting diagnosis within the inpatient unit. They provided outpatient support, complimentary therapies in the day unit 3 days a week, and grief, loss, and bereavement workshops. Staff measured patient and service user feedback every 3 months and found 100% of people surveyed provided positive feedback across a range of measures. The service listened to patients, their friends and relatives, and local community partners to improve and tailor services for everyone.
Patients and their loved ones could access advice and support and staff would direct them or refer them when required to other services, for example social or financial support.
Patients and their friends and relatives told us Willow Burn provided a caring and very responsive service. They said there were sufficient staff who were exceptionally caring and kind, provided information and supported them to make informed choices.
Patients and their loved ones said staff worked in partnership with other teams to meet their needs. Feedback to the service showed people said: “Everything you do here at Willow Burn is incredible”, “Your team went above and beyond to ensure (the patient’s) comfort, dignity and well-being and it meant the world to our family”, “We are truly grateful for the kindness and professionalism shown by everyone involved. Your dedication to provide such a warm and caring environment brought us peace in a difficult time. Please know that your efforts made a profound difference and we will forever be thankful for all you did.”
“The care received for our mother was outstanding, caring, thoughtful and full of empathy.”
“I couldn’t have asked for nicer nurses, care assistants, domestic staff and doctors who showed empathy to us as a family at a very difficult time. “It is a great comfort to us that she was so well looked after in her final days.”
Relatives and patients we spoke with confirmed these feelings.
In addition to the inpatient unit, there is an onsite Living Well service supporting patients with life limiting conditions to live independently in their own homes and community. This aspect of the service includes providing education and information and support to patients, their carers, and families. It empowers patients and their loved ones to engage in difficult conversations about death and dying. It also supports advanced care planning. The service offers peer support sessions. It also provides alternative therapies and counselling services. Additionally, there are small group activities that include crafts and gardening.
At the time of the inspection staff included a team of nurses, health care assistants, local GPs with special interest in end-of-life care, and a palliative care consultant from the local acute NHS Trust. The service accesses community allied health professionals including physiotherapists and occupational therapists, specialist palliative care social workers and visiting chaplains who support all faiths. There are 2 counsellors and a family care coordinator. Qualified nurses and health care assistants deliver care on site 24 hours a day. Between 1 October 2024 and 30 June 2025, the hospice had provided care for 60 inpatients.