Royal Trinity Hospice is celebrating after being awarded the highest possible quality rating – Outstanding – by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The independent health and social care regulator praised Trinity for “going the extra mile” for its patients and said the hospice delivered outstanding care. 

In its latest report, published today, the CQC found that Trinity staff to be “continually kind and compassionate as they put patients and their relatives at ease” and “observed that patients, family members and friends are always treated with dignity and respect.” In addition, inspectors found the hospice to be outstanding in meeting the needs of people from the whole community.

Inspectors rated Trinity as Outstanding in three of the five domains assessed by the CQC, with the top grade being given in the categories of ‘caring’, ‘well-led’ and ‘responsive’. The remaining two domains (‘effective’ and ‘safe’) were rated as Good. Trinity’s last CQC inspection in 2014 found it to be a Good service overall.

Every year Trinity provides free palliative and end of life care to 2,500 patients living in Wandsworth and parts of Lambeth, Merton, Richmond, Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. As well as supporting patients in its Clapham-based inpatient unit, 80% of Trinity’s work takes place in the community, visiting patients wherever they call home. The hospice also provides a range of psychological and social support for families, carers and loved ones of all ages, at every step of the way.

Dallas Pounds, Chief Executive of Royal Trinity Hospice said: “I am thrilled that Trinity has been found to be outstanding by the CQC. It is testament to the expertise, compassion and dedication of every member of the Trinity family and reflects their determination to support our patients to live every moment they have left, to die with dignity and to be there for those left bereaved.

“Here at Trinity we are proudly committed to excellence in all we do. To have this recognised independently by the CQC is a fantastic and well-deserved recognition that we are succeeding in delivering an excellent service. However, this accolade will not stop us from continuing to strive for improvement and further excellence. Our ageing population means that the demand for our services continues to grow and our patients’ needs become more complex. We will need to maintain and develop  our culture of innovation and responsiveness to meet these changing needs and maintain the excellence of our services, as well as raising more funds to deliver them.”

Dr Nigel Acheson, Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (London and South), said: “I am always delighted when a provider achieves an Outstanding overall rating. The staff and leadership team at Royal Trinity Hospice deserve fulsome praise for the service they provide.”

Read the report in full on CQC’s website at: https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-144273944

Trinity is an independent charity and must raise over £11 million every year to supplement income from the NHS in order to continue its free care. You can support Trinity with a donation at www.royaltrinityhospice.london or donate £3 by texting the word NURSE to 70660. (Texts cost £3 and standard network charge. Obtain bill payer’s permission. Customer care: 020 7787 1084. Charity No. 1013945)