Outstanding! That’s the verdict from the Care Quality Commission on our patient care.
Inspectors from the CQC - the independent regulator of all health and social care services in England - looked at every aspect of St Luke’s activity and assessed that our leadership, effectiveness and responsiveness were all outstanding.
And with safety also rated good, that meant an overall rating of outstanding for our services.
The report, which can be seen in full on the CQC website, found that patients, families and carers had highlighted the warmth and kindness of the St Luke’s team.
There was praise too for the way in which St Luke’s ensured continuity of care, with staff working together effectively to provide safe support that met people’s individual needs.
“Patients and their families we spoke with confirmed that they saw the same people for their care and that they were reliable, knowledgeable and caring,” the report said.
There was also praise for the way in which the hospice worked with external partners to ensure continuity of care, working well with the local NHS trust, GPs, Integrated Care Board and district nurses.
“Patients experienced a high standard of care delivered by a team of qualified, skilled and experienced staff,” the report added.
“Patients felt well supported and staff worked to ensure that patients were cared for in a supportive and safe environment.”
Our Chief Executive and Chief Nurse Jo Lenton commented: “This is our first visit by the CQC since 2016 and we are delighted to have once again been rated outstanding by inspectors.
“In the period between the two visits we have, of course, been through a pandemic that meant major changes to the way in which were able to provide care.
“But we were determined never to let our standards fall in any area of our service and this new rating shows that the hard work and commitment of everybody who works at St Luke’s has really paid off.
“Our primary aim has always been to put our patients and their families at the heart of everything we do and it is particularly rewarding that inspectors recognised this and praised the dedication and hard work of all the St Luke’s teams.
“Moving forward, we know that the hospice movement nationally is facing challenging times but to know that we are officially rated as outstanding gives us the determination to meet those new challenges with confidence and optimism for the future.
“We have been here for all the people of Sheffield for over 50 years now and we will build on this success to keep providing outstanding care for the people of Sheffield for many generations to come.”
To see the CQC’s report click here