Claire House Children’s Hospice is delighted to have been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The regulator of health and social services in England visited the Wirral hospice for its two-day inspection last October.
Janet Sutherland-Oakes, Director of Clinical Services at Claire House said: “We are massively proud to have achieved Outstanding in our latest CQC inspection. This was a huge team effort and I would like to say thank you to all the staff, volunteers and supporters who have worked so hard over the last few years to make this possible.
“The rating recognises that Claire House is a ‘Well-Led Organisation’ that provides exceptional high-quality, responsive care to seriously and terminally ill children and their families. However, we know there is still more work to be done, as there are more children and families who could benefit from our services, but we do not yet have the funding or facilities to help all of them.”
Hayley Smallman, who is a Trustee of the charity and whose daughter Holly has been coming to the hospice since 2002 said: “As a parent and Trustee of the hospice, I’m not surprised we received this wonderful news, as it just confirms what I see going on day to day. The care we receive as a family and for Holly is undoubtably outstanding on all levels.
“I’m proud to be part of Claire House and see how hard the team work to care for all the families. It’s sometimes hard to explain how excellent they are, unless you use the hospice personally, so I’m thrilled they have got the recognition they truly deserve.
“This is a perfect way to show everyone how lucky we are to have this amazing organisation caring for families, such as mine, at the most vulnerable times of our lives.”
Outstanding is the highest rating given by the CQC and is achieved by only a small percentage of healthcare organisations. Although Claire House achieved Outstanding in its last inspection in 2015, to achieve the rating again is a high achievement, given that the standards have been raised and the organisation is now inspected in the same way as other healthcare organisations, such as hospitals, that have much greater resources.
“This is not only well-deserved recognition for the hard work of the care team, it’s also crucial for supporters to know that their money is making the biggest possible difference as we strive towards our dream of one day being able to help every child who needs us,” added David Pastor, Chief Executive Officer at Claire House.
If you’d like to read the report visit: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-116772470
