Thames Hospice

Updated 11 October 2021

Thames Hospice provided both specialist palliative care services for patients aged 16 and above living with life-limiting conditions. It provided services to patients living in East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire at its inpatient unit in Maidenhead, and at home via the community palliative response team. The hospice was a charitable organisation.

The hospice first opened in 1987 and was known as the Thames Valley Hospice. In 2005 it merged with the Paul Bevan Cancer Foundation and became known as Thames Hospice Care. In 2013 it rebranded and became known as the Thames Hospice with facilities in Ascot and Windsor. Thames Hospice designed a new state-of-the-art facility to bring all their services under one roof. This facility opened in October 2020. This inspection report covers this new location and the services provided from there.

All services were run from their purpose-built facility. The hospice had 28 ensuite bedrooms split across three wings, a day therapy unit which offered a day therapy service, patient and family support, a therapy service, lymphoedema service, physiotherapy and medical outpatient clinics. The community team included a community palliative care response team, the rapid response community palliative care team and a 24-hr palliative and end-of-life care telephone service.

The hospice was registered to provide the regulated activities:-

• diagnostic and screening procedures
• treatment of disease, disorder or injury

The service had a registered manager, who had been the registered manager of the previous locations since February 2020. They had continued in this role when the new location opened in October 2020.

Thames Hospice was inspected at its previous locations in 2016 under a different CQC inspection methodology and was rated as good.

We carried out a short-announced inspection on 2nd and 3rd August 2021. We inspected Thames Hospice using our comprehensive inspection methodology.

Updated 11 October 2021

This location had not been previously rated. We rated it as outstanding because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, had effective and embedded understanding in how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service had designed a state-of-the art facility to enhance the care given to patients and their loved ones. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients 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 collaboratively and used a holistic approach for the benefit of patients, involved and supported patients to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.
• Staff treated patients and their loved ones with compassion and kindness, respected their dignity and privacy, and went above and beyond expectations to meet their individual needs and wishes. Staff were devoted to doing all they could to support the emotional needs of patients, families and carers to minimise their distress. Staff helped patients live every day to the fullest.
• Services were planned and tailored to meet the complex needs of individual people, and the local population, in partnership with the wider health economy. The hospice’s services were delivered flexibly, by a responsive and passionate multidisciplinary team, providing choice and continuity of care for patients, their families and carers. The hospice planned and worked to improve awareness and access to palliative care for hard to reach communities. The service made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it.
• Leaders ran services effectively using best practice systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and these were fully embedded in their working practices. Staff were motivated to provide the best care they could for their patients. There was a shared purpose on improving the quality and sustainability of care and people’s experiences. Staff were proud to work at the service, there was strong collaborative team working and staff felt respected, supported and valued. Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities. Leaders operated effective governance processes and used innovative approaches to drive and improve the delivery of high-quality person-centred care. The service engaged well with patients, staff and the local community to plan and manage services. Strategies and plans fully aligned with plans for the wider health economy and leaders demonstrated commitment to system-wide collaboration.

Updated 11 October 2021

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