Good –––
Is the service effective?
Our findings
People we spoke with did not have any concerns with the
ability of staff to meet their needs. One person we spoke
with shared their experiences of the treatment and care
they had received during their stay at the hospice. They felt
all staff knew what they were doing when they provided
care to them at times they felt in pain and when they
needed some assistance in meeting their skin needs.
Another person said, “Can’t fault the staff they are
marvellous.”
There was a stable team of staff as most of the staff we
spoke with had worked at the hospice between two to four
years. Staff told us they had received training which
included an induction that provided them with the skills
they needed to meet people’s specific needs. One staff
member said, “I had a mentor at first, training is always
on-going as learning never stops.” Staff also told us that
their training had enabled them to provide more effective
care. Another staff member said, “Training is based around
patients’ needs and is very varied so we meet their needs.”
They told us the training included people’s specific health
needs and end of life care needs, such as, cognitive
behavioural therapy. Another staff member said that they
felt supported and encouraged to complete a nationally
recognised qualification which they gave them added
confidence when assisting people. A further staff member
said, “Everyone is so different but what we learn helps us to
help patients in the best possible way for them.”
Staff we spoke with confirmed to us that there were link
nurses at the hospice for specific conditions, such as, heart
failure and tissue viability (specialists in people’s skin care
needs). Staff told us that these nurses were a good resource
for them as they provided educational updates about
people’s specific conditions to make sure they were up to
date on best practice. One staff member also told us to
they had excellent links with a team of professionals from
different clinical backgrounds so that people’s individual
needs could be met. For example, they were going to refer
one person for a massage as this was really beneficial for
people with lymphedema. Lymphedema is a long term
condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues, usually
affecting the arms and legs. Another person came to the
hospice as they had symptoms of confusion and with the
effective treatment provided by the staff team they were
7 St Giles Hospice - Walsall Inspection report 21/12/2015
now well enough to return home. We also saw staff liaised
with community nurses to make sure they were aware this
person was returning to their own home so that they could
follow up this person’s health care as needed.
We saw in people’s care records and staff told us people’s
day to day health and wellbeing needs were assessed and
monitored regularly. For example, the assessment and
management of people’s symptoms which included pain
were documented. There was a pain chart which identified
where people were experiencing pain and the types of
pain.
Staff were able to tell us about the individual needs of
people who were using the service, such as, how their
mental or physical health might affect the way they
provided care. One staff member said that by talking with a
person and supporting them to write down their feelings in
letters to family members had eased their physical pain. We
saw staff used their communication skills effectively whilst
they supported one person to meet their needs and this
person told us staff always made them feel better. We also
saw the hospice environment provided people with areas
where they could relax. For example, there was a projector
in the bathroom which showed films on the wall of bubbles
and other things and music can be played during a bathing
session as the person wishes.
Staff we spoke with were able to tell us how their training
had helped them to understand the importance of the
Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of
Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) in their roles. Staff spoken with
told us people’s consent to their care and treatment was
always sought and we saw this was the case. Where this
was not possible this was done in people’s best interests
with people who knew them well and were authorised to
do this. One person we spoke with told us staff had
involved them in the decisions about their care and
treatment. They told us the doctor had also spoken with
them about their plans for when they leave the hospice so
that they could make decisions about how their needs
would be met. We saw staff gained people’s consent during
the day of our inspection about their everyday decisions,
such as, asking about medicines for pain relief and what to
eat and drink.
We also saw people had been supported to make
advanced decisions about their future care in the event of
them not being able to make that decision at that time.
These included agreements which provided staff with the