King's Mill Hospital

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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 inspection, we rated this key question good. At this inspection, the rating improved to outstanding. This meant patients felt well-supported, cared for, and treated with dignity and respect. 

Staff worked in a personalised and holistic way to deliver outstanding care to patients. Staff had a positive and caring relationship with patients  

Staff demonstrated genuine understanding and empathy for the people they cared for. 

We observed that patient’s privacy and dignity was always respected 

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

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

The evidence showed an outstanding standard of care. The service treated people with exceptional kindness, empathy, and compassion in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff consistently treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness, respect, and professionalism  

Staff treated patients and those important to them with exceptional compassion, kindness and empathy. We observed caring and respectful interactions throughout the inspection. Staff took time to understand patients’ individual needs, listened carefully, and responded with warmth and sensitivity. Patients and relatives consistently told us staff treated them with dignity and made them feel valued and supported. 

Staff respected patients’ privacy and dignity. They introduced themselves, explained the care they were providing, sought consent before examinations and interventions, and used patients’ preferred names. Staff knocked before entering rooms, maintained patients’ modesty and ensured care was delivered in a way that respected personal preferences and choices. The environment supported staff to deliver care that promoted privacy, dignity and kindness. For example, within the emergency department; staff supported patients and loved ones to use specific rooms dedicated to patients approaching the end of life. The rooms were decorated thoughtfully, had access to separate toilet facilities. Patients and loved ones had access to memory making materials including knitted hearts and for taking hand prints.

Feedback from patients and relatives was positive. Patients told us staff were always available when needed, helped them feel comfortable and reassured, and took time to talk to them. One patient described the care they received as “phenomenal” and “amazing,” while a relative told us, “The staff are just incredible, nothing is ever too much trouble.” 

Staff demonstrated a person-centred approach to care. For example, staff supported a patient to spend meaningful time with family outside the hospital after discussing what was most important to them. Staff also facilitated visits from pets.  

Staff showed compassion and flexibility when caring for patients at the end of life. They involved patients and families in decisions, provided clear information, and gave people time to consider their options. Staff worked hard to build trusting relationships and supported families to spend meaningful time together. We saw staff record and share personal preferences to ensure care reflected what mattered most to each patient. 

End of life care champions and patient feedback highlighted that staff provided special bedding to patients at the end of life to promote dignity. This was a darker colour to promote discretion for patients.  

Staff valued the relationships they developed with patients and families. Staff spoke about patients with genuine warmth and demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering compassionate, individualised care. Without exception, patients, relatives and staff described a caring culture where people were treated as individuals and supported with dignity, respect and kindness. 

Trust data for the period January to March 2026 showed that 100% of bereaved respondents rated the overall quality of care and support provided during the patient’s final admission as good or excellent. However, this data included responses from more than one hospital site and could not be separated by location. 

The evidence showed good standard of care. 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 patients’ strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. 

The service treated people as individuals and delivered personalised care that reflected patients’ preferences, needs and values. Staff took time to understand what mattered most to patients and used this information to plan and deliver care. Patients were encouraged to share information about their family, interests, cultural background, beliefs and personal preferences, enabling staff to tailor care to their individual needs. 

Staff recognised that every person’s circumstances were different and adapted their approach accordingly. Where patients did not have family or friends to support them, staff arranged independent advocacy to ensure their wishes and views were represented. Staff supported families sensitively during periods of critical illness, bereavement and end-of-life care. 

Staff demonstrated a compassionate and flexible approach that often went beyond what people expected. For example, staff facilitated a patient's wish to spend their final hours with their family and pet when treatment was withdrawn. Staff also arranged meaningful experiences and visits that reflected patients’ personal wishes and priorities, helping people maintain important relationships and create lasting memories with loved ones. For example, staff supported a patient to have their favourite drink at the end of their life, despite this meaning some medical equipment would need to be temporarily removed from the patient. Staff supported patients and loved ones to use outside rest and relaxation areas. These areas had been designed to be peaceful, private and comfortable. Patient records showed staff developed individualised care plans that reflected patients’ values, preferences and preferred ways of receiving care. Staff recorded and shared personal information to help ensure care remained person-centred and consistent between teams. 

Staff respected patients’ religious, cultural and social needs. They asked about individual preferences on admission and responded appropriately. Staff offered chaplaincy support where appropriate and respected patients' wishes if they chose not to access spiritual support. Flexible visiting arrangements helped patients maintain important social and family connections. 

The end of life care champions shared learning with wider ward staff about actively promoting patients wearing their own clothes after death (rather than hospital gowns) to promote a personalised approach to care. The champions supported wider staff to be comfortable to ask families if they had something their loved one can wear. 

Staff used a butterfly symbol to identify patients receiving end-of-life care. This helped remind staff to provide additional sensitivity, avoid unnecessary interruptions and offer enhanced support to families and loved ones. 

Staff communicated with patients in ways they could understand and adapted their approach to meet individual communication needs. They had access to interpreters, translation services and communication aids to support involvement in care and decision-making. 

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

Staff promoted patients’ independence and supported them to have choice and control over their care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff listened to patients, respected their preferences and priorities, and adapted care to reflect what was most important to them. Patients were actively involved in decisions about their care, including symptom management, daily routines and future care planning. 

Staff supported patients to make informed choices and provided information in a way they could understand. Where patients needed additional support to communicate or make decisions, staff involved relatives, carers and advocates in line with patients’ wishes and relevant legislation. Staff reviewed personalised care plans regularly to ensure they reflected patients’ changing needs, goals and preferences. 

Staff went above and beyond to help patients achieve important personal goals and maintain meaningful relationships. For example, staff worked across organisations to help a critically ill patient spend time with a close family member receiving end-of-life care and later arranged alternative support when the patient became too unwell to attend a significant family event. In another case, staff supported a patient, who had another relative also in hospital, to make sure a family member visiting the second patient wasn’t inadvertently told bad news until the patient had time to tell them directly.  

Staff provided emotional and psychological support to patients and families throughout and beyond their hospital stay. Family liaison services offered follow-up support to patients and relatives following critical illness, helping them understand and cope with their experiences after discharge. 

Staff supported patients to maintain family, social and emotional connections. Open visiting arrangements enabled relatives and loved ones to spend time with patients when they wished, and staff welcomed and supported them during visits. Staff also facilitated visits from pets where this was important to patients and families and arranged additional support for children and young people during periods of bereavement or end-of-life care. 

Patients and relatives told us the service had a strong family-centred culture. One patient told us, “The nurses are angels.” Staff also took practical steps to reduce the burden on families, including providing free parking for relatives of patients receiving end-of-life care. 

Staff continued to promote dignity and choice after death. Families could accompany their loved one on their journey to the mortuary if they wished, helping them remain involved and supported during bereavement. Overall, patients and relatives consistently described a service that respected individual wishes, empowered people to make choices and provided compassionate, person-centred support. 

The evidence showed an outstanding standard of care. The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs at the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern, or distress. 

Staff actively listened to patients and responded promptly to their individual needs, concerns and wishes. We observed staff anticipating patients’ needs, minimising distress and providing reassurance when people felt anxious, frightened or confused. Staff adapted their approach to meet individual circumstances and supported patients with kindness and compassion. 

During nursing handovers and multidisciplinary discussions, staff demonstrated a detailed understanding of patients’ needs and priorities. They reviewed risks, discussed changes in patients’ conditions and agreed actions to ensure patients received timely and appropriate care. 

Staff worked collaboratively with specialist teams to ensure patients received holistic support. They made timely referrals to services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, dietetics and mental health liaison services. Staff told us these teams were responsive and attended wards regularly to assess patients and contribute to care planning. 

Staff offered patients, families and loved ones memory items, such as fabric hearts, photograph opportunities, and other items. Volunteers made the fabric memory items; for example, the fabric hearts which 2 would be given to a family; one to stay with the patient after they had passed away, and the other to go with the family member. Some families chose to have a photograph of their loved one whilst at the hospital. The clinical photography team provided a photography service for this purpose. 

Staff used recognised tools to support communication, planning and decision-making for patients whose recovery was uncertain or who were approaching the end of life. This helped ensure care remained coordinated, responsive and aligned with patients’ wishes and clinical needs. 

Staff took steps to understand and meet the needs of patients with dementia. Specialist dementia staff worked alongside palliative and end-of-life care teams, and staff used personalised information to better understand patients’ backgrounds, preferences, communication needs and daily routines. 

Staff supported patients with communication needs effectively. They had access to interpretation services, including British Sign Language interpreters, and used a range of communication aids to support patients to understand information and express their views. 

Staff responded promptly to patients requiring assistance. Call bells were accessible, and we observed staff checking on patients regularly throughout the day rather than only during treatments or routine care. Patients received timely support when they requested help. 

We saw a ward nurse had won an award for responding quickly to the urgent needs of a patient who had just been identified as at the end of life. The nurse worked quickly to enable family members to stay together during a distressing time. The nurse continued to provide compassionate care, considering the ongoing psychological needs of the patient and family.  

We saw a further example of a nurse winning an award for promptly responding to a patient and their loved one’s immediate needs. The award highlighted that because of the staff member’s quick review, they prevented unnecessary suffering and made sure the patient experienced a peaceful and dignified death.

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

Staff told us they felt valued, respected and supported by their colleagues and leaders. Leaders recognised the emotional impact of caring for patients at the end of life and promoted a culture where staff wellbeing was a priority. Staff felt comfortable speaking openly about their wellbeing and knew how to access support when needed. 

Leaders supported flexible working arrangements where possible to help staff maintain a healthy work-life balance. Staff described a positive working culture, and we observed respectful and effective multidisciplinary working across the service. 

The trust recognised and celebrated staff achievements through its Daisy and Tulip award schemes. Staff told us they appreciated the opportunities to recognise and celebrate the compassionate care and support provided by colleagues. 

The trust provided a range of wellbeing resources and services. Staff could access a dedicated wellbeing section on the trust intranet, which included confidential counselling services, crisis support, financial wellbeing advice and practical guidance on managing personal challenges. The trust also employed wellbeing champions across clinical and non-clinical areas. Staff told us these champions were visible, approachable and provided support, advice and signposting to relevant services. 

We did not get staff survey results for the end of life team at the trust due to the small numbers for this team. Staff survey results for the whole staff group however, reflected generally positive staff experience. In the 2025 staff survey, 89% of staff said they were trusted to do their job and 88% felt their role made a difference to patients. However, 64% of staff reported feeling enthusiastic about their role, indicating there remained opportunities to further improve staff engagement and morale.