Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service

Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service was founded in 2007 providing specialist care and support to children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, and their families, across Berkshire and into surrounding counties in their own homes.

In June 2018 a purpose built facility was opened offering day-care and respite services in addition to the care in the home and shortly after a symptom management service was made available and the hydrotherapy pool was opened. In 2021 overnight respite was established.

Alexander Devine offers a multi-professional approach to the health, social care and education of children and young people who attend the service. At the time of our inspection, there were 150+ children, young people and their families supported in a variety of ways.

In addition to the respite care offered to children and young people at Alexander Devine, there was support for parents and siblings. This support ranged from complimentary therapies and bereavement support for parents and siblings to accommodation enabling families to stay in adjacent accommodation so they could be near their children. Alexander Devine provided 14,450+ hours of care and support for families in the year ending March 2021.

The hospice had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service receives over 80% of its income from charitable donations and fundraising.

This location had not been previously rated. 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, supported them to make decisions about their care, and provided support for their siblings and parents in times of bereavement.
• 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.
• 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.