Francis House Children's Hospice

Updated 14 February 2022

Francis House Children’s Hospice provides palliative care for children and young adults with life limiting and life-threatening conditions and support for the whole family both during the young person’s life and following their death.

They also provide care and support for children and their families within the local community. Services included respite care, end of life care, bereavement support for parents, a ‘shining stars’ bereavement group for siblings, emotional support, day service and family support.

The hospice has 14 rooms for children and young people. The service is within one building but is separated into two areas, Francis House for children and Francis Lodge for teenagers and young adults. In addition, there are six flats for family members to stay.

At the time of the inspection the hospice cared for seven children and young people within the inpatient unit. This was the maximum number of open beds in line with the current staffing levels.

The director of care was the registered manager.

The service is registered with the CQC to provide:

Treatment of disease, disorder and injury

Diagnostic and screening procedures

Updated 14 February 2022

Our rating of this service stayed the same. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for children and young people and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect children and young people from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to children and young people, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave children and young people enough to eat and drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of children and young people, advised them and their families on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.
• Staff treated children and young people with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to children and young people, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of children and young people’s individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of children and young people receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with children, young people and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

Updated 14 February 2022

Our rating of this service stayed the same. We rated it as good. See the summary above for details.