Milton, The Treehouse and The Nook rated ‘outstanding’ by CQC

April 8, 2020

At a time of such little good news, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is thrilled to announce that all its hospices have been rated ‘outstanding’ following Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections in January.

WHAT DID THE CQC SAY?

Milton’s summary begins: Staff repeatedly went the extra mile in their care and were committed to find ways to make a difference to children and their families. Staff went above and beyond expectations to establish and meet patient’s individual needs and were passionate about the care they delivered. Staff were highly motivated to offer care that was kind and promoted dignity. Staff recognised the totality of people’s needs and supported the emotional needs of children and their families and children and their families emotional and social needs were seen as being as important as their physical needs. Relatives felt truly cared for and that they mattered. Read the full summary and report here.

The Treehouse’s summary begins: There was a truly holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and treatment to all children and young people who used the service. The service provided care and treatment based on national guidance and evidence-based practice, and managers checked to make sure staff followed guidance. Staff protected the rights of children and young people subject to the Mental Health Act 1983. Read the full summary and report here.

The Nook’s summary begins: Staff consistently treated patients and their families 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. Read the full summary and report here.

Tracy Rennie, EACH Acting Chief Executive, said: “I’m so proud of all our staff and volunteers. Everyone has a part to play in making sure children and families get the care they need. It’s not only the care staff, but everyone who contributes to make EACH the organisation it is. This huge achievement is testament to their commitment to be the best in all they do and I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank them.

“This has been wonderful news to receive in uncertain times. To protect the vulnerable children who use our service and to reduce the spread of the virus, we’ve suspended some of the care we offer. Short-break care and wellbeing therapies, wellbeing groups and events, face-to-face counselling, care of the child’s body after they have died and our Help at Home volunteering service have all been stopped. Visitors to the hospices are restricted so that only the parents or main carers of children receiving care can enter.”

Tracy continued: “While for now we focus on providing end-of-life care and bereavement support, working closely with the NHS to provide capacity to care for the sickest children and responding to urgent requests for care and support as best we can, once it is safe to do so we must be able to start offering our care service in full again.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters who continue to support us at this time. We rely on voluntary donations for the majority of our income, meaning our staff are only able to deliver this outstanding care because of the equally outstanding local communities.

“Just over a week ago, we launched an appeal to replace the £1.8m voluntary income we expect to lose over the next 12 weeks, following the closure of all our shops and cancellation of fundraising activities.

“Unlike hospitals, we rely on the generosity of the public to fund our service. Together we can make sure our vital care and support is still available for the children, young people and their families who need us during and beyond this most challenging of times.”

EACH is asking people to donate at www.justgiving.com/campaign/each-covid19 or get creative with at-home fundraising. Further ideas are at www.each.org.uk/get-involved and the charity’s fundraising teams are working hard from home to offer support where possible.