'Kind and caring' hospice staff get highest rating

The "kind and caring" staff at a hospice have been given the highest rating possible by inspectors.

Teesside Hospice, based in Middlesbrough, runs a 10-bed inpatient unit as well as a wellbeing centre, bereavement counselling and a lymphoedema clinic.

Officials from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the service in June and have now confirmed the hospice's rating has improved from good to outstanding.

Gill Hodgson-Reilly, CQC deputy director for north-east England, said it was "an exceptional service" where staff "worked hard to provide the best possible care to people at the end of their lives".

The hospice was praised for being involved in the local community through charity shops and attending nearby events.

Hodgson-Reilly said: "We found an exceptional service where staff and leaders worked hard to provide the best possible care to people at the end of their lives.

"Kind and caring staff understood people's needs and... help make their time at the hospice comfortable and happy.

"Leaders had an exceptional understanding of the service they managed and ensured people were given the best possible care."

The inspector also praised mangers for being aware of discrimination and inequality which could disadvantage different groups of people trying to access care.

She highlighted feedback from a same-sex couple who previously reported "not fitting in" at other care providers.

At Teesside Hospice, they told the inspector they were able to "laugh and cry with peers whom they never thought they would connect with".

Hodgson-Reilly said: "Other services should look to this report to see if there's anything to learn from it."

Group director of nursing at Teesside Hospice, Heather Stuart, said the staff "go the extra mile" every day.

"I'm so proud of the whole team and know that they will do all they can to continue to reach such a high standard of care," she said.

Follow BBC Tees on X,Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen to Radio Tees on BBC Sounds.