St Joseph's Hospice Association

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

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

St Joseph’s Hospice demonstrated holistic, person-centred, and proactive care, addressing clinical, social, spiritual, and emotional needs of patients and families. Staff were attentive, approachable, and responsive, while senior management and the family support worker supported both patient and staff wellbeing.

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.

We scored the service as 3. 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.

All three wards received a Certificate of Excellence in 2025, awarded in recognition of consistently outstanding patient feedback from an external body, “I Want Great Care.”

We reviewed the annual compliments report, which showed that 34 compliments had been received between April and August 2025. Some feedback included statements such as, “Thank you for the love and support…,” “For the level of care and devotion you have given,” and “Everyone we engaged with at St Joseph’s was amazing.”

A review of the “I Want Great Care” Friends and family summary report indicated that, for the month of July 2025, the hospice received a five-star rating, with 89% positive feedback from 145 responses submitted by family members or friends of patients.

The family support worker (FSW) followed a bereavement pathway. A bereavement booklet was provided to the significant other. Courtesy follow-up calls were made to offer a listening ear and to provide FSW contact details to other family members as required.

Condolence cards were sent to the significant other, and a letter offering ongoing support was sent four to six weeks after the patient’s death, with FSW contact details included for any family members.

A feedback form for the hospice support service was sent eight weeks after the bereavement. Memory boxes, including items such as hug/heart dolls and worry worms, were also offered to significant others and family members. Additionally, the FSW held a drop-in support session on the first Thursday of each month.

We scored the service as 3. 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 “All About Me” form was completed as early as possible to help hospice staff get to know patients and to enable the team to meet their individual needs. The form was updated as necessary. It could be completed by the patient or by the individual(s) who knew the patient well and wherever possible, the patient was involved. The form was not a medical document and covered many areas, including cultural, religious, and spiritual background, interests, hobbies, sports, employment and achievements, communication needs, mobility needs, habits, and routines.

A multi-faith resource booklet was made available to educate and support hospice staff and volunteers in addressing the spiritual and religious needs of patients and those important to them. The booklet covered 13 faiths.

A list of chaplaincy services and other faith contacts was maintained. Patients were informed that the hospice could arrange for a member of the clergy to visit, either on an ongoing basis or to provide a final blessing, if they wished. While faith contacts were available for most denominations, the patient demographic was predominantly Church of England or Roman Catholic.

The multi-faith resource booklet was accessible to staff and volunteers through the family support worker (FSW), and copies were also available in the quiet/reflection room and the FSW therapy room. The hospice additionally used a spiritual website as a reference tool.

A quiet/reflection room was provided, equipped with reading materials and books for patients and their families.

We scored the service as 3. 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.

Staff involved patients and those close to them in decisions about their care and treatment.

A charity specialising in using music to connect people and support those living with dementia and their carers, was used at the hospice. Patients were encouraged to create a personal “soundtrack of their life,” a collection of songs that evoked memories and provided comfort. Patients could begin building their playlists using any prompt, and they were also given the option to create a playlist for someone else.

Social and spiritual care needs were captured in the clinical admission booklet. The family support worker (FSW) led conversations with patients and their significant others to address personal, cultural, social, and spiritual needs alongside clinical input. The FSW took the lead on completing the “All About Me” form, either with the patient directly or in collaboration with family members. Once completed, the form was placed in the patient’s bedroom file for staff to review, enabling them to understand the patient’s background and preferences.

The FSW also provided the Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale (IPOS) on admission to capture patients’ experiences regarding symptoms, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and practical needs. Additionally, a music conversation starter was offered to patients or their significant others.

The FSW led a team of volunteer befrienders on a rota basis who visited patients to chat, read, watch TV, accompany them outdoors if appropriate, and offer companionship. A pet therapy dog was scheduled to recommence visits from September 2025.

Complementary services, such as haircuts and therapy sessions, were offered to patients on request.

A “tipple trolley” on the last Friday of each month, visiting patients and family members to offer a favourite tipple (alcoholic beverage) where appropriate. A mouth sponge was also available for taste, pleasure, or memory stimulation, if required.

We scored the service as 3. 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.

St Joseph’s Hospice demonstrated a prompt and effective response to the immediate needs of patients and their families. During our assessment, we observed that staff were attentive, approachable, and proactive in identifying and addressing patient concerns, whether related to physical comfort, emotional wellbeing, or practical support.

The Family Support Worker played a key role, providing guidance on matters such as Lasting Power of Attorney, financial considerations, and access to community resources, ensuring families received timely and relevant information. Clinical staff, including nurses and healthcare assistants, were highly responsive, adjusting care plans and interventions quickly to maintain comfort and dignity. We also observed a prompt response to pain and agitation.

Additionally, kitchen staff were responsive to changes in diet and food consistency as patients’ swallowing needs evolved, demonstrating the hospice’s holistic and person-centred approach to care.

We scored the service as 3. 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.

The HR department carried out its first Wellbeing Survey during February and March 2025. The aim of the survey was to understand what types of wellbeing sessions staff might be interested in, identify barriers to attendance, and gather feedback to inform future investment in this area.

The response rate to the survey was 17%. Headline data indicated that 56% of respondents were from administration, with additional responses from operations and clinical staff. No responses were received from Retail. Seventy-five percent of respondents reported having attended a wellbeing session in the previous 18 months, and all of those who had attended stated that they had enjoyed the sessions. Feedback highlighted the types of wellbeing sessions staff would like to see in the future, many of which were already provided.

Of the four respondents who had not attended, non-attendance was predominantly due to pre-existing commitments. Feedback regarding barriers to attendance included difficulties in leaving clinical units, feeling guilty about attending sessions, or not wanting to come in on a day off.

Recommendations from the survey included re-running the survey towards the end of the summer, considering feedback on improving attendance, using the survey responses to inform future decisions regarding wellbeing events and investment of hospice funds, continuing to log activities and attendance numbers, and providing ongoing feedback to staff via email, the staff newsletter, and posters.

The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and associated promotional materials included:

• Mental health first aider
• A Wellbeing Activity Log outlining activities undertaken since June 2024, which recorded 218 attendees.
• Emails promoting the EAP and Mental health first aiders, particularly following a challenging training session on child bereavement.
• Pop-up wellness events, including stretches, breathing exercises to alleviate stress, anxiety, and burnout, Shala yoga, skincare sessions (hand massages, mini-facials, advice, and discount events for staff).
• Mind, Body, and Soul Festival.
• Hospice Care Week, including staff and volunteer events such as coffee mornings, walks for wellness, and chair yoga.
• Workplace health checks, aimed at preventing diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and dementia.

Staff we spoke with told us that the Hospice was a nice place to work, that they felt supported and that senior managers were both visible and approachable. Many said communication was very good and that they received a lot of support when they were new to the role.