The Mary Stevens Hospice

Updated 24 April 2020

The Mary Stevens Hospice is operated by Mary Stevens Hospice (The). The service opened in 1991. It is a private hospice in Oldswinford, Stourbridge. The hospice primarily serves the communities of the Dudley Borough. It also accepts patient referrals from outside this area.

Updated 24 April 2020

The Mary Stevens Hospice provides specialist palliative care to adults aged 18 years and older.

The inpatient unit could provide services for up to ten patients at a time, with 24 hour nursing and medical support. Patients could be referred to the inpatient facility for symptom control, terminal care, respite care and crisis intervention.

The day services unit offered a full range of care, therapy and support services for those with life-limiting illnesses which includes medical advice and support, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, complementary therapies, recreation activities and social activities. The day service unit has capacity to accommodate up to 25 patients a day, Monday to Friday.

This was the second inspection of this service. It was previously inspected in 2016 and rated Good overall. We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. This was an unannounced inspection (they did not know that we were coming). We carried out our inspection on the 25 and 26 February 2020.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Services we rate

Our rating of this service improved. We rated it as Outstanding overall.

• Staff understood how to protect patients from abuse and the service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.
• Staff completed and updated risk assessments for each patient and removed or minimised risks. Risk assessments considered patients who were deteriorating and in the last days or hours of their life.
• The service provided care and treatment based on national guidance and evidence-based practice. Managers checked to make sure staff followed guidance.
• Staff monitored the effectiveness of care and treatment. They used the findings to make improvements and achieved good outcomes for patients.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs. Patient’s needs were constantly assessed and identified with treatments and opportunities aligned to their needs and wishes. Patients nearing the end of their life were encouraged to think about wish lists to allow the staff and those close to fulfil those that were possible.
• People’s individual needs and preferences were central to the delivery of tailored services. The service had innovative ways to provide integrated person-centred pathways. Services were flexible to meet patient’s needs.
• The service took a proactive approach in understanding the needs and preferences of different groups of people and delivered care which met these needs. Staff made reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of patients, including those with protected characteristics.
• Leaders had the skills and abilities to run the service. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. They were visible and approachable in the service for patients and staff. They supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles.
• The service 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 and fully aligned to local plans within the wider health economy.
• Leaders and staff actively and openly engaged with patients, staff, equality groups, the public and local organisations to plan and manage services. They collaborated with partner organisations to help improve services for patients.
• 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.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make some improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve. Details are at the end of the report.

Heidi Smoult

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (Midlands)

Updated 24 April 2020

Services were provided from one location. We rated the service as outstanding overall as it was rated outstanding for caring and responsive and good for safe, effective and well led.