Diana Princess of Wales Hospital

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• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

This means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

We looked for evidence that there was an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning and improvement that was based on meeting the needs of people who used services and wider communities. We checked that leaders proactively supported staff and collaborated with partners to deliver care that was safe, integrated, person-centred and sustainable, and to reduce inequalities.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good.

This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

We have not awarded this service a score for Well-led.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Well-led.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The service had a clear, positive and compassionate culture that supported both patients and staff. Staff told us they felt respected, valued and supported in their roles. They described leaders as approachable, visible and committed to providing high‑quality, person‑centred care. Staff across all roles remained focused on meeting the needs of patients and those close to them.

There was an open and inclusive culture where staff, patients and families felt able to raise concerns or share feedback without fear. Patients and relatives spoke positively about staff attitudes and felt listened to when they raised questions or concerns. Staff said they felt confident to speak up about safety or wellbeing and knew how concerns would be handled.

The trust had a set of values and expected behaviours, which staff understood and demonstrated in practice.

The service had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The service was led by leaders who were suitably skilled, experienced and committed to delivering high‑quality, compassionate care.

There were systems to support leadership development and succession planning. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and take on additional responsibilities, and leaders supported progression through training, mentoring and development opportunities.

Leaders demonstrated a good understanding of the challenges facing the service, including workforce pressures and increasing demand. They were able to describe how they prioritised issues, managed risk and responded to emerging concerns. Leaders were keen to hear and respond to staff needs to improve their working lives and patient care. Staff forums had been introduced as a safe space for staff to talk about experiences in end-of-life care whether personal or professional.

Leadership teams were visible and approachable. Staff told us they saw senior leaders regularly and felt able to speak with them. Leaders engaged with staff through walk‑rounds, meetings and informal conversations, and actively listened to their views and concerns.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The service promoted an open, transparent and supportive culture where staff at all levels felt able to speak up. Staff told us they felt confident to be honest when things went wrong and were encouraged to raise concerns, share ideas and reflect on practice. This applied across all staff groups, including clinical, support and non‑clinical staff.

There were mechanisms for staff to raise concerns, including line management, senior leaders and Freedom to Speak Up arrangements. Staff told us they knew how to raise concerns and felt assured they would be listened to and treated seriously.

When things went wrong, staff described a culture of openness and accountability. Apologies were offered and people were informed about actions taken to prevent reoccurrence. This applied to both concerns raised by staff and complaints raised by patients and families.

Staff had a clear understanding of the complaints process, appropriate to their role. Managers shared learning from complaints through meetings, updates and supervision, and this was used to improve practice.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them.

The board of directors reviewed 2025 data from Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) and Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) to identify areas of improvement.

The trust had several polices on inclusion and diversity. These included the inclusion diversity policy and procedure and dignity at work policy procedure.

The trust had staff networks including the disability network, ethnic minorities network and the LGBTQ+ network where all staff could join for a supportive and inclusive space.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate.

At our last inspection, the service was told that it needed to have robust governance processes in place. At this inspection, there was a governance structure from ward level through to senior leadership and the board. Quality and risk information was reported through these structures providing the board with assurance about service performance. At the previous inspection, the service did not collect reliable data to understand performance. At this inspection, we were shown how changes had been implemented which included a new dashboard that showed performance data that was used to make decisions and improvements.

The service had performance governance arrangements. Data from audits, national datasets, patient feedback, workforce metrics and local performance indicators was reviewed regularly and used to inform service improvement. Incidents were reviewed proportionately, learning was identified, and actions were taken to reduce recurrence. There was shared learning across teams, and staff told us they felt involved in and supported following safety reviews. Leaders were aware of trends and areas requiring improvement.

Information systems were secure and supported good governance. Staff completed information governance training and understood their responsibilities around confidentiality.

The risk register reflected known risks across the service, including staffing, lack of IT equipment and limited staff capacity for training were reviewed regularly, with mitigations, ownership and trend analysis.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

Service leaders engaged regularly with the Integrated Care Board, local authorities, neighbouring NHS trusts and adult social care providers. These relationships supported service planning, demand management and joint problem solving, particularly around access, discharge planning and community support. Leaders attended a regional operational delivery group meeting bi-monthly to advise of service developments, quality improvement activities and were kept abreast of updates in end-of-life care across their patch.

The trust had undergone a fundamental change since the last inspection. The trust now was part of the Humber Health partnership which meant that service leaders needed to collaborate with colleagues in end-of-life care at another hospital. Leaders worked collectively to ensure that systems worked together, and that they had oversight of operational matters at all locations.

There had been improved collaboration with the external partner providing specialist palliative care since the last inspection. The joint referral form and daily meetings to triage referrals had led to better cross team communication and partnership working.

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

The service promoted a culture of learning, reflection and continuous improvement. Leaders encouraged curiosity and openness, and staff described a shared commitment to continually improving the quality of care and experience for patients and families.

Staff had access to training and support to develop quality improvement (QI) skills and an understanding of improvement methods. Leaders could describe completed and ongoing QI projects that had led to improvements in care, safety and patient experience. Staff were encouraged to take part in improvement work and felt their contributions were valued.

There were opportunities for continuing professional development, including specialist training, postgraduate study and leadership development.

Staff could describe examples of excellence in everyday care, showing pride in noticing and responding to small details that made a difference to patients’ comfort and dignity.

The team were short listed for a national palliative and end of life care award that celebrated outstanding achievements in care provision across the UK in 2025.