Outstanding care at hospice

The charity was awarded four ratings of outstanding and one rating of good which currently puts them in the top two per cent of health and social care providers who have recently been inspected.

The CQC inspectors visited Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, which helps people in Calderdale, spoke to the families, care staff and professionals external to the organisation.

They also observed care and support activities both in Russell House and out in the community, toured the premises, checked records, policies and procedures in order to make their assessment.

Inspectors said: “Staff were highly dedicated and passionate about their roles in caring for children and they placed children at the very heart of their work.

“It was highly evident from our observations that all staff at the hospice treated all children and their families with the utmost dignity, respect, kindness and compassion. In addition we saw that they treated each other in the same way.

“The ethos of the hospice encompassed family centred care where the child, young person and their family were at the centre of everything that took place. We saw this extremely evident throughout our inspection.”

In another visit Lord Willis, in his role leading Health Education England’s ‘Shape of Caring review’, said: “The belief that you can’t deliver World Class care at home has been blown aside by Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice.”

Peter Branson, Chief Executive Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice said: “The families we care for deserve the very best and we are thrilled that the dedication and commitment of our care team has been recognised in this way by the CQC.

“We will carry on doing everything we can to reach out to more children who need our support so they too can feel the benefit of outstanding care.”

The charity was formed 12 years ago and opened its Russell House Hospice in 2012.