Pembridge Hospice

Before people arrived the service asked for relevant medical and personal information from the service making the referral, including details about their medical history and how to contact family and friends. When they arrived staff would undertake a full assessment to ascertain their needs and preferences, including psychological and emotional needs, as well as their medical needs such as pain relief requirements. The people using the service that we spoke with praised the quality of the care they were receiving.

On the day of the inspection most areas of the service appeared clean and tidy. People using the service described it as "spotless" and "good".

Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work. There was a complaints policy and procedure in place which featured details about how to make a complaint and how it would be investigated and responded to.

Appropriate medical and personal information was taken from people to ensure that the service could care and treat them appropriately. Risk assessments were conducted to ensure they were safe when using the service. Staff had been trained in how to deal with medical emergencies and medical equipment and drugs were available. People using the service praised the quality of the care and treatment provided in recent feedback. They described the service as "excellent", "perfect" and "of the highest level".

Medicines were stored securely on the ward. Accurate records were kept of what medications had been used, who they had been given to and when.

There were appropriate numbers of staff on each shift to meet the needs of people using the service. All staff received annual mandatory training in providing care, treatment and support, as well as specialist training in providing palliative care.

Accurate records were kept of people's needs and what care, treatment and support had been provided. These records were kept securely on the ward.