KEMP Hospice

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

We rated caring as good.

We reviewed all 5 quality statements for caring: kindness, compassion and dignity, treating patients as individuals, independence, choice and control, responding to patients’ immediate needs and workforce wellbeing and enablement.

We found:

Patients were supported and always treated with dignity and empathy.

Patients received care and support that was compassionate and kind.

Patients were fully involved as partners in their care.

Patients were always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion and had their dignity and privacy respected.

Patients wishes and choices were understood and respected and they were supported and encouraged to live their best lives as independently as possible.

People described the staff who worked at KEMP Hospice as kind, considerate and empathic.

Patients received safe, effective and person-centred care as the provider recognised and met the wellbeing needs of staff.

At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection, the rating has remained good.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Patients felt that staff knew and understood them, including their preferences, wishes, personal histories, backgrounds and potential. Patients and relatives told us staff provided emotional support to them. This included support to help them with their diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Patients were offered activities at the day hospice to help manage their symptoms. This included complementary therapy, exercise and well-being activities and breathlessness support. Patients were also offered one to one discussion to explore their future and discuss their wishes. Patients told us staff approached these discussions respectfully and at the patient’s own pace. Information about patient’s wishes were recorded in records we reviewed.

Patients fed back to us that staff promoted their independence whilst in the day hospice.

Patients felt staff listened to them and communicated with them appropriately, in a way they understood.

People were always treated with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support. Patients were overwhelmingly positive about the care they received, and all commented on the kindness received from staff. Patients told us ‘staff are very compassionate, attentive and really care’, ‘the staff are very kind’, ‘everyone has been so kind’.

People felt that staff listened to them and communicated with them appropriately, in a respectful way, that they could understand. All patients commented that staff took time to understand them as individuals. A patient told us ‘staff ask about my needs in a way I can understand’.

People’s privacy and dignity was respected and upheld at all times. All assessments undertaken were done so in a private clinic room or in the patient’s own home. Many activities undertaken were in group settings. We observed the conversations were respectful at all times.

There were several accessible toilets available to patients which provided adequate space for patients requiring assistance from staff and equipment. Staff knocked toilet doors before entering to ensure the patients privacy and dignity was maintained.

Patients were assured information about them was treated confidentially and they knew staff respected their privacy. Staff followed policy to keep patient care and treatment confidential. The service had an information governance policy and staff were compliant with it. Conversations between staff and patients were kept private and sensitive information was never shared in the presence of those not authorised to hear it.

There is a culture of kindness and respect between colleagues from other organisations. During our assessment we spoke to a staff member from another service who was very complimentary about the service KEMP Hospice provided. They commented that KEMP Hospice was a safe space for patients and staff were kind and compassionate.

Patient’s individual needs and preferences were understood and are reflected in their care, treatment and support. Information about what was important to the person were clearly identified. The hospice and its staff had a strong patient centred culture with patients’ individual needs and preferences understood and reflected in their care. Staff had a strong understanding of patients’ human rights to dignity and respect and were able to uphold these rights, even in challenging situations.

The 2025 patient survey showed 85% of respondents scored 9 or 10 out of 10 in relation to KEMP Hospice meeting their individual needs.

Staff treated patients as individuals, considering any relevant protected equality characteristics. Staff respected the individual needs of each patient and showed understanding and a non-judgmental attitude when caring for or discussing patients with mental health needs. Staff received training in equality and diversity, so they understood, valued, and celebrated difference.

Patient’s communication needs were met to enable them to engage in their care, treatment and support to maximise their experience and outcomes. Staff could access translators in various languages including British Sign Language. This enabled patients to engage in their care, treatment and support.

They were encouraged to maintain and develop their independence and supported to realise their ambitions.

Patients were supported to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions about their care and wellbeing. Staff were always visible and available to patients in the day hospice. They were there to offer support and assistance when required. Staff also supported patients in accessing other services as well as liaising with palliative care services where there were any unmet needs.

Patients were supported to understand their rights by using different ways to communicate. The service supported patients who had difficulty communicating. Communication aids were readily available for staff to support patients to communicate effectively. Staff also sought training to enable them support patients who used specific equipment to enable them to communicate. Interpretation services were available on request. Outcomes from the 2025 patient survey showed 91% of respondents rated communication from staff as a 9 or 10 out of 10.

People were supported to maintain relationships and networks that were important to them. Most patients we spoke to commented on the positive impact of being around other people and building supportive relationships was something important to them at the day hospice. The day hospice offered carer support groups, recognising family and carer needs were very important to supporting patients to maintain relationships.

People had access to activities and the local community to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing. KEMP Hospice offered a variety of structured activities for patients to take part in. This included exercise and well-being groups, breathlessness groups, a music therapy group, creative art groups, a men's group and complementary therapy. The groups were all focused on improving general health and wellbeing as well as pain control. Patients were also offered occupational therapy support at the hospice and within the community to support independence. There was a range of appropriate equipment to support and maximise patient’s independence and outcomes from care.

Staff took appropriate steps to enable patients to be supported by someone of their choice during appointments should they want support.

Staff went to great lengths to make sure patients’ needs, views, wishes and comfort were their utmost priority. They went above and beyond to anticipate patients’ needs and took steps to ensure preventable discomfort, concern or distress for patients. Staff used their daily handover effectively to consider individual needs of patients attending on that day and set agreed actions to minimise any issues or distress. For example, staff responded quickly to patients who were anxious about falling or were having difficulties swallowing. Staff provided reassurance and took action to put support in place in the day hospice and in the community. For example, undertaking an occupational therapy assessment.

Staff demonstrated empathy in their approach when communicating with patients. We observed staff communicating and engaging with patients in discussions about their immediate needs. This included asking about their symptoms, side effects from treatment as well as what was most important to them at that point in time.

Many patients were referred to KEMP Hospice for pain control. Staff were observed to regularly check whether patients were in pain. Staff escalated concerns to other professionals immediately where the patient’s pain was not being managed well. The service provided complementary therapy which staff promoted as additional support to manage pain and symptoms from their illness or side effects from treatment.

Staff were alert to patient’s needs and took time to observe, communicate and engage patients in discussions about their immediate needs. They found out how to respond in the most appropriate way to respect their wishes, needs and preferences. We observed staff took time to listen and talk to patients who were upset or wanted someone to talk to. A relative of a patient told us ‘I think the staff do understand my husband’s needs – they are very attentive’. All patients we spoke to considered staff had a good awareness of their needs. A patient told us ‘Staff will come and talk to me. I am new so they make sure I am comfortable and included’. Another patient told us ‘Staff ask about my needs in a way I can understand. I have no concerns with how they communicate, and I have no needs that have not been supported’.

Information was provided to patients in different ways including verbal feedback and written letters and leaflets to explain about the services.

Staff could quickly recognise when people need urgent help or support and use appropriate tools and technology to assist. Staff had an in depth understanding of each patient’s needs and risks. For example, they had mobility equipment to hand should a patient need urgent support to mobilise or there was a risk of falling. Staff had access to communication aids to support patients who struggled to communicate and used these with patients.

Patients received safe, effective and person-centred care as the provider recognised and met the well-being needs of staff. These included the necessary resource and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks.

There were systems in place to support and monitor staff well-being. For example, staff were provided with a monthly one to one meeting with their manager. This focused on their role and well-being. Staff told us KEMP Hospice was a ‘lovely’ and ‘supportive’ place to work. They were given ‘a regular one to one meeting focusing on well-being and personal development’. In general, they felt their workload was manageable and managers supported flexible working arrangements.

The service invested in an employee support programme which offered staff free confidential support. This included counselling sessions and practical advice and support. We observed this service was well promoted to staff in the day hospice.

The results from the most recent staff survey published in 2025 showed 100% of staff felt KEMP Hospice was a safe place to work.

Patient’s experience of the service was driven by a culture that normalised good well-being through inclusivity, active listening, and open conversations. This enabled staff to do their job well and to be well. Managers ensured they carried out de-brief sessions in response to incidents or patient deaths. Staff told us ‘it can be emotional to work here but debriefs are always offered’. Managers took a considered and sensitive approach to sharing bad news with staff in relation to the patients they cared for. They took time out to reflect on patients who had used the service and celebrated their lives. Staff told us ‘senior leadership are very caring and approachable. They promote Schwartz rounds to allow reflective practice’. A Schwartz round is a structured group discussion for health care staff to share experiences about emotional and social aspects of their work to increase support, inclusion and compassion.

Staff were supported if they were struggling at work. This had a positive impact on the care they deliver to people. Staff told us service leaders and managers were flexible in their approach, supporting them to develop and deal with difficult situations both professionally and personally. Staff told us ‘The current management is supportive’. A staff member was trained as a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) at the hospice and was available to support staff who were or may struggle with their mental health

Patients benefited from staff who had regular opportunities to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the service or staff experiences. If necessary, leaders provided a timely and considered response. The hospice managers ensured staff were listened to. They included staff in decision making and the implementation of new ways of working. An action plan was in place to improve communication with staff following the most recent staff survey which showed only 31% of staff felt management involved people in decisions that affected their jobs or work. At the time of our site assessment there was a ‘speak up’ campaign promoted to recruit freedom to speak up guardians and champions. This was in response to the staff survey to improve staff confidence in speaking up. Staff spoke very highly of the management and leadership team and in general felt they were valued, listened to and involved in service improvements. For example, staff were given opportunities to feed into the most recent strategy. We also observed staff were consulted before purchasing new equipment for the day hospice. Most staff told us managers were approachable and felt safe approaching them.

Patients were supported by staff who feel valued by their leaders and their colleagues. They have a sense of belonging and the ability to contribute to decision making. All staff we spoke to, of all levels, were very positive about working for KEMP Hospice. They considered it to be a happy and supportive place to work, and they felt they made a difference to patients.