The Rotherham 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

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate. Hospice staff took account of people’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs. Staff always offered patients’ choice in their care planning, supported their independence and involved them in decision making. Staff communicated effectively with people to anticipate their needs and respond to them quickly. The hospice offered all staff extensive support and wellbeing resources and initiatives.

This service scored 95 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The hospice received overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients and their loved ones. Staff captured a great deal of internal patient and family feedback. This included hundreds of letters, cards, and thank-you notes received directly from those cared for. This significant volume of qualitative feedback evidenced the compassionate care staff provided.

Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity. During CQC’s assessment we spoke to six patients and four family relatives. Comments praised the nursing staff, the knowledgeable doctors and their care. Patients and their carer spouses said they were confident them or their loved one would be cared for.

Family and relatives, we spoke to felt staff acted with conviction and took a genuine interest in their wellbeing.

CQC reviewed the hospice’s respect, dignity, privacy and confidentiality policy.

The hospice carried out a consent audit. Results were stored centrally for all staff to access. One policy stated auditing would be done through 1-2-1s and appraisals.

Clinical staff completed recommended summary plans for emergency healthcare and treatments (ReSPECT) forms following Resuscitation Council UK guidance. These were for patients who did not want to be resuscitated at the end of life. Staff used different forms for patients who did or did not lack capacity.

Patients and relatives told us staff always listened and considered their individual needs. All inpatients had a memory box in their room when admitted, which included toiletries. Staff provided a welcome book which detailed amenities, such as Wi-Fi and assistive technology availability.

The welcome box provided to all inpatients included complimentary toiletries, mindfulness activities, and a personalised welcome message. Inpatients then used them as memory boxes. Staff would actively support patients in filling boxes if they wished. The boxes were designed to enhance both the patient and family experience as tangible keepsakes. This personalised initiative exceeded standard practice or provision in palliative care.

The service planned to add handheld digital or disposable cameras to the box. This would help patients take photos and record memories. Community staff provided similar items for their patients in a bathing bowl.

These extra amenities, such as Wi-Fi, assistive technology, and plans for digital and disposable cameras, further reinforced leads’ commitment to person-centred care.

Hospice services assessed, triaged and identified the level of support required. Services offered for individuals were comprehensive and highly tailored to suit patient’s needs.

The Sunbeams service was the only face-to-face bereavement service for children and teenagers in Rotherham. It offered child bereavement, play therapy, groups for people aged 13 or over, and 1:1s in different home or school environments. This offered flexibility and accessibility beyond traditional hospice bereavement support.

Service leads accepted referrals from lots of neurodiverse people. Leads recognised how they experienced bereavement could be different to others.

The hospice had introduced a ‘Paws at Peace’ kennel service for cats and dogs. This supported the timely care of people’s pets. This reduced delays when admitting them into the service.

The Paws at Peace initiative was the first of its kind in the UK: This unique service ensured the timely and compassionate care of people’s pets during hospice admissions, reducing distress for patients and families. This demonstrated a pioneering approach to holistic end-of-life care.

These initiatives demonstrated an exceptional level of care which exceeded standard expectations in palliative care settings.

CQC reviewed patient records for seven patients. Records and care plans were paper based and personalised to meet individual needs. They all included ReSPECT do not attempt resuscitation (DNAR) documents and preferred place of care or care after death forms. Each patient had an individualised plan of care and escalation. ReSPECT discussions were summarised and could be easily identified. This gave any staff caring for the patient clear guidance. Next of kin details, social and spiritual assessments, as well as daily living activities were also recorded. Staff had completed these appropriately.

Staff completed ReSPECT forms for all inpatients. This document incorporated the option of the Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) order. This ensured patients’ wishes were respected at all times.

All inpatients had a named nurse who familiarised themselves with the patient’s ReSPECT form and DNACPR status when starting their shift. This demonstrated an embedded culture of personalised and attentive care.

The hospice offered comprehensive individualised care planning for any patients admitted for end-of-life care. MDT meetings discussed individualised care plans. This included all professionals involved in the patient’s care. Staff could discuss their ongoing work or potential input to ensure a holistic approach.

Staff documented communication needs and considered the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) when planning individualised care. This ensured they met patient’s individual needs and respected their autonomy.

The hospice recognised and promoted important cultural and religious occasions. Their café’s menu was advertised well in advance for days of note. These included St Andrew’s Day, Ramadan, Christmas, St George’s Day and other celebratory events. This demonstrated cultural awareness and inclusivity which extended beyond clinical needs to support people and their communities.

The hospice prioritised people’s individual wishes and made exceptional efforts to facilitate them. Patients and family said staff gave them control to manage their own medicines well. For example, one inpatient in the last days of life had a syringe driver in situ. This enabled the inpatient to attend their daughter’s wedding. All the family were full of praise for all the staff involved with this inpatient’s care. This example highlighted highly personalised support for patients to maintain autonomy and dignity, even in complex situations. Staff demonstrated their clear commitment to supporting patient choice and independence beyond standard expectations.

Staff were flexible and responsive in catering to individual needs. Family and relatives CQC spoke to at the hospice praised the hospice café food and drink options and quality. Staff provided alternative options not on the menu if people had special dietary needs. The hospice’s welcome guide was available in every room. This explained staff could ‘cater to all dietary needs, including special requirements and pureed’.

The hospice encouraged and provided multiple structured feedback opportunities. Patients, families, carers and other hospice visitors could give feedback. They could add comments to their ratings for eight categories from 1-10 and share personal story. This ensured patient choice and control were continuously assessed and improved.

Medical and clinical staff completed mental capacity assessment (MCA) paperwork for any patients with capacity issues. They ensured decisions were made in people's best interests. Staff followed an MCA best interest decision (BID) flowchart if they doubted a person’s mental capacity.

Staff made any adjustments to visiting based on individual needs and patient preferences, with no blanket restrictions. As per the visiting policy, staff reviewed any temporary restrictions such as infection control regularly. They communicated these clearly and removed them as soon as possible.

Staff always made best interest decisions for patients relating to visitors. The hospice had a visiting policy. This was entirely built around the least restrictive option and individualised choice for people which followed CQC guidance. The hospice was one of very few in the UK to offer 24/7 unrestricted visiting in accordance with the patient’s wishes.

The hospice also had a reasonable adjustments policy. However, we were unsure how feedback from staff and managers would feed into this policy. We could also not clarify where results were stored and analysed, and in which meetings.

One patient told us staff always managed to improve their symptoms and control pain through timely medication.

In April 2024 the hospice hosted, and staff arranged a short notice wedding for a terminally ill patient. The family were full of praise for staff members, in particular two healthcare assistants (HCA).

The hospice had established a new patient experience team. This included a clinical complementary therapist who could offer patients, staff and visitors’ treatments such as aromatherapy. The hospice had funded their aromatherapy course. There was a bespoke ‘zen den’ onsite which worked like a spa treatment room. CQC heard the therapist could use a bespoke mixture of scented oils. This helped release congestion for one patient wearing a nebuliser. The therapist had also helped a service user who could not attend her daughter’s hen party plan and enjoy a spa day.

The hospice complimented this with bathing services and hairdressing facilities. People were very positive about this therapist and the holistic treatments they offered.

Hospice leads clearly planned how to increase future provision to meet demand for their services. All staff were consulted on and understood these plans.

The hospice’s new strategic plan reflected their plan to increase bed capacity and numbers to 30 inpatients. They also intended to significantly expand their hospice at home (H@H) service, both in the community and at patient’s homes. This team already provided a 24-hour service and advice phone line. H@H had taken their night services back in-house following team expansion.

The hospice offered several services to help emotionally support patients, their families and carers. These included bereavement support, counselling, social work, carer and family support, children’s bereavement support (Sunbeams) and chaplaincy services.

The Sunbeams service was the only face-to-face child bereavement service in the region. It offered support for school age children experiencing the serious illness or death of a loved one. It was well established and widely appreciated by local families after 13 years. This service had also expanded its staffing to meet demand. They had a newly recruited support coordinator and family counsellor.

Patients and staff members could access a chaplain service available two hours a week. A team of 6 chaplains offered a confidential service and could visit patients in their rooms. They would listen to anything patients wanted to discuss, including those without a faith or religion. Staff could also contact spiritual care advisors for emotionally challenged visitors.

Staff fully tailored patient’s care and responded to their needs. Staff asked people first referred to the service broad questions. This helped staff learn more about them, and if there were things a person wanted staff to know.

Staff adopted a person-centred approach to discussing sensitive topics. In many cases, gender and sexuality preferences were already documented in GP records. Staff reviewed and confirmed these with the patient. This ensured sensitive personal information was already known and appropriately handled. Staff noted and considered their patients and service users may have protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 they had not disclosed to family, friends or carers.

Staff responded to people in pain or discomfort promptly. Staff used and completed pain scales appropriately in all the seven patient records CQC reviewed.

They responded to inpatient room call bells and met patient’s needs.

Staff had information and resources to signpost in helping carers such as Rotherham carer’s corner booklet.

Staff surveys specifically included wellbeing as a key component. This ensured ongoing assessment and improvements. CQC reviewed the hospice’s latest staff and volunteer surveys in 2024. Managers sought feedback from staff to further understand and enhance the organisational culture. Results revealed strong alignment with the hospice’s mission. Areas for improvement were identified. These findings informed lead’s ongoing efforts to address concerns. In doing so, they planned to foster a more cohesive working environment.

Volunteers said their contributions were equally valued. The hospice’s volunteer survey was conducted in 2024. This revealed an overall satisfaction rate of 84%. Respondents indicated they felt included in decision-making and appreciated for their efforts.

Medical leads felt the hospice offered lots of progress and work development. These staff-built relationships with other specialities, especially at local trusts. The hospice was committed to nurturing talent at all levels. Several retail managers and a healthcare support worker had progressed from voluntary to paid roles.

All staff could attend reflection meetings. These were open forums for everyone to discuss or debrief about their experiences.

Staff views were gathered, analysed and acted upon in staff surveys. The hospice carried out one main survey over two to three years, and undertook smaller, targeted surveys throughout that time. Survey results were displayed in staff areas. Senior leads also used audience interaction software to gauge feedback during staff town hall meetings.

The hospice had been authorised to carry out Schwartz rounds from January 2025. One licenced consultant was trained, who planned to train other staff. Schwartz rounds provide a structured forum where all staff, clinical and non-clinical, come together regularly to discuss the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare. Funding had been agreed to increase the Schwartz round offer currently in place.

The hospice had proactively implemented an industry-leading pay model for all their workforce. This had already gained recognition from peers in the sector.

The hospice offered a free, independent and confidential listening service for all staff.

Staff were prompted to look after their mental health by considering five ways to wellbeing as part of a local authority and acute hospital initiative.

The hospice had a staff wellbeing policy. Leads updated the policy based on feedback from bi-annual staff surveys, one-to-one meetings and team discussions. HR was responsible for monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of wellbeing initiatives. They provided regular updates to the executive team.

Staff survey results were communicated through internal staff updates and incorporated into wellbeing strategies. The CEO conducted ‘Town Hall’ meetings with all staff quarterly. They were designed to directly enhance staff wellbeing as a core focus. This was done by providing open dialogue, support, and direct feedback mechanisms. The hospice was the only one in the region to offer this structured, high-level engagement process led directly by the CEO.