Care given at Farleigh Hospice officially classed as 'Outstanding'

Staff at Farleigh Hospice are celebrating after receiving an overall rating of ‘Good’ from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Farleigh Hospice, based in Broomfield, Chelmsford, was rated as ‘Good’ across the key areas of safe, effective, responsive and well-led and achieved the highest rating of ‘Outstanding’ in the key area of caring.

It comes after an inspection in January which highlighted the positive outcomes of the hospice which provides care and support to people affected by life-limiting illnesses and bereavement in mid Essex.

Alison Gray, Registered Manager and Head of Nursing and Clinical Quality at Farleigh Hospice, said: “We are very pleased with the Care Quality Commission’s overall rating of ‘Good’ showing that the hospice is performing well and to expectations across all key areas.

"We are particularly delighted that our commitment to providing exceptional care and support to our patients and their families and carers has been recognised through our ‘Outstanding’ rating in the key area of caring.

“This result is due to the hard work and dedication of the entire clinical team and the support of our wider operational and management teams across Farleigh Hospice.”

Inspectors agreed that the hospice was exceptionally caring, noting that staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, considered their individual needs, were active partners in their care and helped them understand their conditions.

They also reported that staff worked well together for the benefit of the patients, supported them to make decisions about their care and that people felt safe and felt confident to raise any concerns.

"The inspectors found that Farleigh Hospice was responsive and effective, observing that the service planned innovative care to meet the needs of local people, proactively took account of their patients’ needs and made it easy for them to provide feedback.

The report also highlighted that Farleigh Hospice was well-led. The inspectors observed that leaders had the skills and abilities to run the service, were visible and approachable for patients and staff and managed and delivered good quality, sustainable care, which was supported by appropriate individualised treatment plans.

Sarah Green, Chief Executive at Farleigh Hospice, added: “I am delighted with the outcome as it recognises not only the huge effort that Alison and our clinical teams put into delivering the highest quality of care, but also our commitment to planning innovative care that meets the needs of local people, with patients and families actively involved in reviewing and shaping exactly what that care looks like.

“We thank the CQC for its feedback which we will use to ensure that Farleigh Hospice continues to meet the needs and expectations of people affected by life-limiting illnesses and bereavement across mid Essex, now and in the future.”

Locations: Braintree, Maldon, Chelmsford, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend, Thurrock, Basildon and Brentwood