Good –––
Is the service well-led?
Our findings
People we spoke with were aware of the staffing and
management arrangements. One person told us, “Staff
must be well managed otherwise the care I have received
would not have been as excellent as it has been. I don’t
want to go anywhere else.” Another person said they had
no complaints about the staff and the, “Place is spotless
and food is superb.” Staff spoke with us about their roles in
supporting people in an enthusiastic and p ositive way
where people and their family members were central to the
care they provided. We also saw this in the practices of staff
during our inspection even when at times they had some
difficult experiences to manage, such as, one person’s
death. We saw they did this with full respect of this person
and in a dignified way so that other people’s feelings were
also taken into account which included this person’s family
members and people who were using the service.
There was a defined structure to the organisation with a
board of trustees and layers of senior managers, managers,
staff and support services. Staff we spoke with were aware
of the roles of the management team at the hospice. They
told us that the managers were approachable and had a
regular presence at the hospice. All the managers we spoke
with demonstrated they had an excellent understanding of
the care provided which showed they had regular contact
with staff and people who used the service. The registered
manager was able to tell us stories about people’s care and
treatment journeys. They showed they were passionate
about promoting hospice services to wider groups of
people who may not have traditionally used hospice
services, such as, people with dementia.
The registered manager showed they led by example. They
provided us with examples of a person’s hair being tinted
as they liked this done and a person having their eyebrows
done to enhance people’s wellbeing. They also said they
believed it was important all staff had time to spend with
people which included the nurses who told us they also
massaged people’s hands due to having time to spend with
people. The registered manager told us staff, “Spend time,
talk with people and listening we make a difference every
minute of every day” to people. Staff spoken with told us
they worked as part of a team which included the
management team and felt valued in their roles. Staff told
us they were happy in their work and knew what was
expected of them. One staff member told us, “I’m always
13
St Giles Hospice - Walsall Inspection report 21/12/2015
encouraged to better myself.” Another staff member said,
“Patient care is brilliant here, we work together as a team
and doctors ask me for advice about people’s care. You can
always come to the managers. If I came to the hospice I
know I would be quite safe, happy and well looked after.” A
further staff member told us, “If I was ill I would want to be
looked after here.”
Without exception all staff spoken with told us they felt
supported in their roles. Staff told us there were different
arrangements in place where they were able to gain
support to do their work. One staff member confirmed they
could access clinical supervision to support them within
their nursing role where they were able to reflect upon their
practice. However, they also said there were times when
staff needed support due to the emotional nature of the
end of life care they provided to people. They told us, “Very
emotive job, sometimes we need five minutes” and they
believed that the registered manager and staff were
supportive at these times. Another member of staff said
they always felt supported by the registered manager and
other staff and confirmed, “Always feel valued.” A further
staff member told us, “They (the nurses and managers) are
very good here we are well supported. “They look after us.
“When I was ill they came to see me at home I have worked
in health care for thirty two years, this is the best place I
have ever worked.“
Staff and people who used the service were enabled to
share any concerns about the care provided. All staff we
spoke with were aware of their role in reporting any
concerns and they told us they would report concerns in
accordance with the provider’s whistleblowing policy. One
staff member told us, “I would follow the whistleblowing
policy if I needed to and I would happily report concerns to
external agencies if I needed to.” The management team
involved people in the development of the service. This
included people who used the service and the local
population. Feedback was gained from people in a variety
of ways which included patient care reviews and
satisfaction questionnaires and service development
consultations. We saw the recent feedback was very
positive and this was shared with staff to extend best
practice across the services people received and one
member of staff told us this helped to promote good staff
morale.
Information following investigations were used to aid
learning and drive quality across the services people