Butterwick hospice: Concerns remain at 'inadequate' hospice

Butterwick Hospice Care was founded in 1984

A watchdog has found that a Teesside hospice still needs to improve after it was rated as inadequate.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave the rating to Butterwick Hospice in Stockton in May after concerns were raised including safety incidents not always being well managed.

A warning notice was issued, but a follow-up visit in September found that not enough improvement had been made.

The hospice said it was working "tirelessly" to improve.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the hospice had been placed on a risk register compiled by the Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group and given the highest rating.

During the latest visit, CQC inspectors found that mandatory and safeguarding training was not always adequate and lessons were not always learned from safety lapses.

They also concluded that managers did not always have the capacity, skills and abilities to successfully run the hospice.

There was, however, improvement when it came to the personalisation of patients' care plans, which were described as "comprehensive and reflective of patients' needs".

The hospice was previously rated as inadequate in four out of five inspection categories, although it rated as good when it came to caring.

'Action plan' 

A spokesperson for Butterwick Hospice said: "We acknowledge that there are still challenges to face and our team is working tirelessly to continue making progress.

"Butterwick Hospice Care is a small, local charity with limited resources that relies on public funding.

"We are confident that with the continuing support of our local clinical commissioning groups and fellow palliative care providers that Butterwick Hospice Care will continue to serve the needs of our local community."

A spokeswoman for the CQC said its most recent inspection "found issues had still not been addressed and we had concerns about the quality of care people were receiving". 

She added: "The leadership team has provided us with an action plan explaining how they are going to address these concerns and we will go back to inspect the service again in due course."

The hospice was founded in 1984.

It was set up by Mary Butterwick OBE on two sites in Stockton and Bishop Auckland, and provides care and support for people living with progressive life-limiting illnesses.