CQC upgrades The Hospice of the Good Shepherd to Outstanding

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded The Hospice of the Good Shepherd in Chester from Requires Improvement to Outstanding following an inspection carried out on 10 and 11 March.

The hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care for adults aged 18 and over with incurable, life-limiting illnesses, while also supporting their families. The service has 10 inpatient beds and offers a range of day services, many of which are delivered through a dedicated wellbeing centre.

The inspection formed part of the CQC’s routine monitoring programme. During its previous inspection in August 2024, the hospice was found to be in breach of regulations relating to safe care and treatment. The latest inspection found sufficient improvements had been made, and the service is no longer in breach of those regulations.

The CQC upgraded the hospice’s Well-led rating from Requires Improvement to Outstanding. The Safe and Responsive domains improved from Requires Improvement to Good, while Effective and Caring were upgraded from Good to Outstanding.

Inspectors found the hospice had effective systems in place to gather information before people were admitted, helping staff plan and deliver safe, personalised care from the outset.

The report highlighted the time staff spent getting to know people and their families, enabling them to communicate in ways that met individual needs and preferences throughout their care.

Inspectors also found managers maintained a visible presence within the service and that staff felt comfortable raising concerns. Following challenging incidents, debriefing sessions were held to support both staff and people receiving care.

The CQC noted the hospice’s work to improve access to palliative and end-of-life care for underserved groups, including providing outreach bereavement counselling through a homelessness project.

The inspection also highlighted positive feedback from people using the service. According to the CQC, a patient survey found all respondents rated their overall experience as either Outstanding or Good, while the hospice had received 298 compliments recognising the care and support provided by staff.

The report concludes that the improvements made since the previous inspection have strengthened the quality of care, leadership and governance across the service.

Stay informed with the stories shaping health and social care.