The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by Trinity Hospice and Palliative Care Services Limited in Blackpool to be outstanding following an inspection in July this year.
Trinity provides palliative and end of life care for 33 children and adults with life limiting illnesses. The service supports people and their families, providing spiritual and holistic care. Trinity also offers a hospice at home service in the local community to assist people living in their own homes.
At the time of this inspection, there were eight inpatients at Trinity and they also supported approximately 500 individuals in their own homes within the Blackpool and surrounding areas.
The service employed two teams of clinical nurse specialists in the wider community who worked at the local hospital and with community services.
The service was rated Outstanding for being caring and well-led and Good for being safe, effective and responsive making them Outstanding overall.
Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North, said: "We found the care provided at Trinity Hospice and Palliative Care Services Limited, Blackpool to be outstanding.
"What really struck us about this service was how person-centred it was. Without exception, people and their relatives spoke extremely highly of staff and their experiences of care at Trinity. We saw that end of life care plans were very detailed and were not only making a difference to the people using the service, but also their relatives.
"It was impressive to see how well-led Trinity was. The registered manager also worked jointly with other organisations, to make sure that people using their service were receiving the best possible care. This included research studies with a local hospital that influenced and improved best practice and national policy-making. We saw that that this had a major impact on people’s care.
"The whole team should be very proud of the service they are providing."
Read the full report of the inspection
The report highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice.
Inspectors found staff, people and relatives were at the heart of Trinity Hospice and Palliative Care Services Limited. The management team set up various ways to involve them and allow them to feedback on their experiences.
The registered manager had remarkable oversight of care provision, service quality and everyone's safety. This included multiple auditing systems, a range of different staff-level meetings and various structures to review staff, people and visitor's views.
People told CQC that staff were efficient at responding to them and their requirements. End of life care plans were very detailed and relatives told us related support was excellent. One relative fed back: "The memory boxes have been overwhelming since my [family member] passed away."
Inspectors toured the service and found it had an exceptionally tranquil, warm, happy and welcoming atmosphere throughout. The hospice demonstrated a highly sensitive understanding of protecting and respecting people's human rights and staff were passionate about providing a non-discriminatory service.
Read the latest report
Without exception, people and their relatives spoke extremely highly of staff and their experiences of care at Trinity.
Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North