CQC finds Hospice service not always safe

Staff praised for compassionate and caring approach

A lack of awareness training around learning disabilities, reduced respite services and concerns from staff about reaching patients in the community are among the issues highlighted in a review into the Island's Hospice.

The CQC's findings have been published following an inspection at Hospice Isle of Man late last year.

The inspectors asked five questions during their visit - is the service safe, effective, well-led, caring and responsive.

The hospice was found to be complying with four of those areas, but the CQC has voiced concerns that the service is not always safe.

The report makes 11 recommendations for improvement, with one issue being escalated to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Among the issues flagged were a lack of sepsis awareness, resuscitation equipment not being stored in an easily accessible way and temperatures not being monitored in medicine rooms.

Training is one area recommended for improvement, with the report highlighting shortcomings in safeguarding training, and an absence of training around learning disabilities, autism and mental health - Hospice says it intends to roll out this training this year.

CQC has escalated the reduced size of the respite services to the DHSC, warning that this offers limited provision to support the wider system.

There was praise for the staff, with the CQC finding a culture where staff are respected, supported and valued.

It adds that staff are focussed on patients needs, treat patients with compassion and have a genuine caring approach.

The report says the service has enough staff to keep patients safe, but staff felt more were needed to support the home service, stating that at the moment it can be difficult to reach multiple patients in one day.

During the review, inspectors found they were able to access some unlocked offices which displayed patient information, raising concerns around data protection.

Hospice has welcomed the report, and says it's already started work to improve the areas highlighted.