St Joseph's Hospice

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

The hospice had a clear strategy focused on sustainability, extending its reach, and improving service quality. Leaders were described as being visible and approachable, promoting an open culture where patients, families, and staff felt safe to raise concerns without fear of repercussions. Trained Freedom to Speak Up Guardians and an in-date whistleblowing policy allowed additional layers of support for staff. The hospice emphasised on equality, diversity, and career development, where leaders supported staff to develop their skills further. Governance processes were robust, with regular opportunities for staff at all levels to discuss and learn from the hospice's performance. Feedback mechanisms, including patient and staff surveys, were utilised to improve the quality of care delivered at the hospice. This commitment to continuous improvement was showcased through the hospice's active engagement and collaboration with partner organisations to plan and manage services.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. The hospice had an open culture where patients, their families and staff could raise concerns without fear. Community staff told us that although they physically worked outside the hub of the organisation they felt a part of it and were able to voice their opinions and felt valued.

The hospice had a vision for what it wanted to achieve and a strategy to turn it into action, developed with all relevant stakeholders. The vision and strategy were focused on sustainability of services, increasing the reach of the hospice and improving the quality of the service. The hospice had organisational objectives and behaviours and ensured they were aligned to the corporate values. This was looked at by the leadership team.

Staff told us they found managers approachable and felt supported by them. We noted that as we were walking around the hospice with managers that they knew all the staff and staff knew who they were. There appeared to be no barriers to communication and staff approached managers to ask questions while we were there.

Leaders had the skills and abilities to run the hospice. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the hospice faced. They were visible and approachable in the hospice for patients and staff. They supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles.

The hospice had trained freedom to speak up guardians that staff could approach. However, staff we spoke with said they would not feel the need to use it as they felt able to raise issues openly, without fear of future repercussions.

The hospice maintained a comprehensive and up-to-date whistleblowing policy, ensuring staff were fully aware of the procedures for raising concerns.

The hospice demonstrated a strong commitment to career development through structured training programmes and pathways for progression to more senior roles.

The hospice actively promoted equality and diversity in its daily operations, ensuring an inclusive and supportive environment for staff.

Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities and had regular opportunities to meet, discuss and learn from the performance of the hospice.

Leaders operated effective governance processes, throughout the hospice and with partner organisations. Leaders and teams used systems to manage performance effectively. They identified and escalated relevant risks and issues and identified actions to reduce their impact. They had plans to cope with unexpected events.

Patient and their families consistently reported feeling supported and valued through the hospice's strong engagement with the local community and partner organisations. Collaborative efforts ensured that care was accessible and tailored to meet the diverse needs of the population.

Leaders and staff actively and openly engaged with patients, staff, the public and local organisations to plan and manage services.

The hospice collaborated with partner organisations to help improve services for patients. The hospice worked collaboratively with the local authorities and Integrated Care Board (ICB) to deliver services which were needed in the areas they covered.

The hospice asked its staff to complete an annual staff survey and acted upon the results of these. The hospice had multiple mechanisms for patients and relatives to provide feedback on services. All this feedback was scrutinised, and themes and trends were identified to improve the future service the hospice provided.

All staff were committed to continually learning and improving services. They had a good understanding of quality improvement methods and the skills to use them. Leaders encouraged participation in research.

The hospice was committed to learning from when things had gone wrong and when things had gone well and regularly audited itself to benchmark progress.