- NHS hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Assessment report published 7 August 2026
Contents
Ratings - End of life care
Our view of the service
The Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust provides end of life care across two locations including Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. End of life care encompasses all care given to patients who are approaching the end of their life. It may be given on any ward or within any service in the trust.
The specialist palliative care team (SPCT) is responsible for overseeing the delivery and quality of end of life care services across the hospital. The team provides expert clinical leadership, and guidance for pain and symptom management. The SPCT included a palliative care consultant, 1 lead nurse, 4.45 whole time equivalent (WTE) specialist palliative care (SPC) clinical nurse specialist (CNS), 1 SPC speciality registrar and 1 foundation year 2 doctor. The team received SPC therapy support from oncology therapists.
We carried out an assessment of end-of-life care at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on 28 and 29 April 2026 because the service had not been inspected since 2018.
Overall, we rated the service as good. We assessed all quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. We rated all key questions as good.
We looked at 7 sets of patient clinical records; we spoke to 3 people using the service and relatives, and 22 members of staff. We visited wards where people were being cared for at the end of life.
At this assessment we found the service had a positive culture of safety based on openness and honesty. Staff investigated incidents and shared learning to promote good practice and continuous improvement. People were cared for in a safe environment and protected from avoidable harm.
Staff were qualified, skilled and experienced and had received relevant training in end of life care. People’s care and treatment were routinely monitored to continuously improve it. The service worked effectively across teams and services to support people and ensure continuity of care. The service understood people's rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.
Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion. The service made reasonable adjustments for people with additional needs, including those with learning disabilities or communication needs.
The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices. People could access care in ways that met their personal circumstances and protected equality characteristics.
Leaders were experienced, skilled and knowledgeable. They were inclusive and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders maintained oversight of risks and performance through established governance processes.
People's experience of this service
People told us they were treated with kindness, respect and compassion. They said staff listened to them and provided clear explanations about their care and treatment. This reflected what we observed during the assessment, where staff interacted with people in a professional and sensitive manner.
Staff were described as consistently courteous, respectful and professional in their interactions, contributing to a positive care experience.
A team of butterfly volunteers offered compassionate companionship for end of life care patients and provided a calm and caring presence. They sat with people, held their hands, listened to them and offered support to families at the most difficult time. They ensured that no one spent their final hours alone or in isolation.
The 2025 National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) audit bereavement survey showed that 77% of bereaved relatives would rate care at this hospital as good or excellent compared to the national average of 75%.