St Luke's (Cheshire) 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

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good.

Good: This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

We looked for evidence that people were always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We checked that people’s privacy and dignity was respected, that they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also looked for evidence that every effort was made to take people’s wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

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.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff attitudes and behaviours when interacting with patients showed that they were discreet, respectful and responsive, providing patients with help, emotional support and advice at the time they needed it.

Staff supported patients to understand and manage their care, treatment or condition. Patients said staff treated them well and behaved appropriately towards them.

Staff understood the individual needs of patients, including their personal, cultural, social and religious needs.

Patients we spoke with were complementary of the service and said staff treated them with kindness, compassion and dignity. We saw staff supported privacy and dignity in the delivery of care and were sensitive to the needs of the patient and their loved ones.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The service made adjustments for patients – for example, by ensuring people’s access to premises and by meeting patients’ specific communication needs.

Managers ensured that staff and patients had easy access to interpreters and/or signers.

Patients had a choice of food to meet the dietary requirements of religious and ethnic groups and to account for allergies and intolerances.

Staff ensured that patients had access to appropriate spiritual support, holistic treatments or counselling sessions.

Patients we spoke with told us they felt listened to and supported in their cultural and holistic needs. Relatives told us they felt listened to and were informed of updates. We saw individual needs were considered and explored to support their preferences.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

The day hospice services team and inpatient unit offered emotional/psychological care and practice advice to help manage complex pain and symptoms experienced through disease progression.

The service offered advanced care planning and end of life planning that included future needs, support, care available, financial affairs and end of life decisions. The service had a skilled team who could help and have open discussions with patients which were often emotional and uncomfortable to have with loved ones.

Patients were supported to make decisions about their preferred place to die. Staff told us they supported patients’ needs to meet their preferences, culture and faith needs where possible.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff identified and responded to changing risks to patients. Staff were aware of and dealt with any specific risk issues, such as falls, pressure ulcers and pain relief.

Staff also provided workshops to support patients for fatigue, dementia music therapy, carers support and capturing memories.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. Staff felt positive and proud about working for the provider and their team.

Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service.

The service had received the bronze award for hospice compassionate employers. The service had committed to building an open, compassionate culture to support staff through grief, caring responsibilities or a life-changing diagnosis.