- Hospice service
Oakhaven Hospice
Assessment report published 10 December 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Oakhaven hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-lifecare and support to patients with a clinical referral who live in the New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities. Hospice services included an inpatient unit, community services, medical team, day hospice, therapy, complementary therapy, patient and family support (including counselling) and single point of access service. There were two volunteer-based services that provided additional support: ‘Neighbours’ in the community and ‘bedside companions’ in the inpatient unit. A wider wellbeing support programme was provided via the onsite Coates centre. This was open to patients and members of the public who were experiencing life limiting illness or bereavement. The hospice has 10 inpatient beds and had recently completed building works to open three new rooms which were operational at the time of the inspection. An extensive refurbishment programme was planned for the remaining environment. We carried out an inspection of the hospice on the 13th August 2025. We inspected all quality statements across safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. We have combined the scores for these areas with scores from the last inspection to give the overall rating. We spoke with 7 patients and 3 relatives/carers. We reviewed 6 patient records including nursing notes and prescription charts. We spoke with 15 staff which included: associate specialty doctors, community nurse specialists (CNS), senior leaders, healthcare assistants, administration staff and volunteers.
People's experience of this service
Feedback from patients and any family or carers were overwhelmingly positive. Patients commented about the staff treating them with kindness and dignity and providing effective care and treatment. Patients and family or carers said that communication with the hospice was very good. People did not experience discrimination or inequality. The service made reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities and communication difficulties.