The Rowans Hospice

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Care given to patients was person-centered and staff treated patients with dignity and respect. The hospice took people's wishes into account and respected their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. Staff treated patients as individuals and made sure their care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences.

Family members and people close to the patient were encouraged to be involved in their care, support and treatment of their loved ones. Patients fed back that care was excellent and staff were compassionate and caring. The hospice promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported them to always deliver person-centred care.

This service scored 100 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity. We spoke with patients who described staff as amazing, kind and caring.

The hospice collected patient feedback through a number of channels depending on which service patients used. We reviewed patient comments which was overwhelmingly positive and confirmed that staff treated patients kindness, compassion and dignity.

One of the feedback read ‘Thank you to everyone for being so kind, thoughtful and responsive to their family member ensuring she was comfortable and pain free’. Another read ‘A very huge thank you to the wonderful care you gave my husband, you treated him with so much love and care I will be ever grateful’.

The hospice provided psychology and bereavement support to all patients and families if needed. Feedback for the service was positive as patients commented that the sessions made them feel safe and reassured and helped them grieve. Another patient commented that the sessions helped manage their trauma and taught them ways of coping.

The hospice was the only service in Hampshire who provided pre bereavement and post bereavement support to children through the ‘Meerkat Service’. This service provided therapeutic support to children when they were bereaved or had a family member receiving care through the hospice.

Throughout the inspection, we observed staff and volunteers consistently providing excellent care and support to both patients and their families.

Staff gave us examples of when the hospice had supported patients and families to celebrate significant events such as birthdays and religious events such as christmas and ramadan. The hospice had a memory tree where patients could leave notes for their loved ones. Staff and volunteers made ring wallets and fingerprint hearts for the bereaved families.

The hospice used volunteers as bedside companions who talked to patients and provided emotional support. The spiritual team also provided a hospice companion service and took time to talk to and listen to patients and families.

Families were allowed to stay overnight. Every room had a sofa bed. Pets were also allowed to stay.

The hospice had a cuddle bed which could accommodate two people. This was purchased via raised money grants and the hospice was in the process of purchasing two more.

The hospice took account of the patients individual needs. People were encouraged to be involved in their care and treatment planning. The hospice treated patients as individuals and tailored the assessments and reviews to their communication needs and personal preferences.

We observed a handover where staff discussed patient’s social history which included their likes and dislikes. In addition to this staff also discussed the patients emotional needs.

Staff gave us an example of how they had set up a meeting with the patients family in order to better understand their expectations, needs, cultural and spiritual values. By doing so the hospice was able to place the patient in a room which was suitable to their needs and the families. Following the death of the patient, the family expressed how they had felt listened to and supported and were provided care that met their needs.

We reviewed care records which showed personal, cultural, social and religious needs of the patient clearly recorded.

The hospice had a spiritual care team who supported patients and families if needed including patients of any faith and religion. The hospice employed a spiritual lead who liaised with other faith leaders as requested to support religious aspects. The lead was also part of a national and local network and worked together to support the community.

Patients needs were recognised and respected. Person centred care planning ensured that care was personal to the patient.For example we reviewed a care record of a patient who was on a modified diet. The staff had gathered information to establish what the patient liked to eat and passed this on to the kitchen staff.

Patients and where appropriate their relatives were supported to be actively involved in making decisions about the care they received. The service promoted people’s independence and encouraged them to have choice and control over their care and treatment.

The social work team based at the hospice offered patients and families support and advice to help manage their care whilst maintaining their independence. The team worked closely with other teams within the hospice and those in the wider community to provide a wide range of practical and emotional support.

The hospice had onsite spiritual chaplains with both religious and humanist backgrounds. Patients and families had access to quiet spaces should they needed this.

Leaders told us the hospice could facilitate rapid death registration and funeral procedures when needed as part of religious norms. The hospice also supported family in personally caring for those at the end of life, including particular customs or rites where indicated.

Patients had access to the physiotherapy and occupational therapy team who were based at the hospice. The team supported patients to maintain their independence and helped address symptoms of pain.

The hospice had two therapy suites where patients received complementary therapies which included osteopathy, hypnotherapy, sleep therapy and reflexology.

The hospice was able to support patients and families who chose to end Non-Invasive ventilation and provided us with examples of when they had done this.

The hospice provided a Hospice at home service for those who preferred to receive Hospice care within the comfort of their own home. This service was available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a combination of planned and responsive visits.

Staff told us they received referrals from the community and worked together with district nurses to provide care for patients in their homes. Staff visited up to three times a day and focused on the last two weeks of the patients life.

Feedback received by the hospice was overwhelmingly positive. A comment read ‘Thank you for your support and guidance, with your help we were able to keep him at home just where he wanted to be.

Staff gave us an example of when the hospice had gone over and beyond by making sure a patient who was being discharged to a nursing home could go to her home to see it for the last time.

Throughout the assessment, we observed staff responding to people’s needs quickly without delay. Staff were responsive to patient family members when approached for assistance, information or reassurances.

We observed staff offering reassurance to a caller who felt overwhelmed as they were new to the hospice. Staff explained clearly the services offered by the hospice and invited caller to come in for a chat and tea.

Leaders promoted the wellbeing of their staff to enable them to deliver excellent quality person-centred care.

The hospice had an employee assistance programme and provided counselling sessions for all staff at the hospice. Staff also had access to the inhouse support and advice with the psychology team.

Staff told us they received supervision, and clinical incident reviews and debriefs following a difficult event.

The hospice also provided a health and wellbeing programme to staff which included dental, eye care, physiotherapy and 24/7 GP service.

The hospice at home staff went out in pairs and kept a phone with them. The phone was connected to the call centre for emergencies and staff could raise an alert when shaking it.

Reasonable adjustments were made for staff where possible to enhance their social activities away from work, promoting a healthy work life balance.