Strathcarron's Hospice at Home team earn top marks

Strathcarron’s Hospice at Home provision has been called an “excellent, sector leading” service by the Care Inspectorate. It received excellent and grade six ratings across the board following a recent inspection.

The specialist palliative and end of life care provided in the community is entirely free for those living in Forth Valley and North Lanarkshire

Initially launched by cash from The Big Lottery Fund, it was fully funded for five years. However, when the grant ended in July 2019 the funding has come from local people in the community it serves.

The team currently supports nearly 400 local people and their families each year.

Irene McKie, Strathcarron Hospice chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded the ‘full set of sixes’, the highest grading by the Care Inspectorate. This is the fifth consecutive Care Inspectorate report that has graded us as excellent. As a charity, the NHS only fund one-third of our hospice services, but this doesn’t include Hospice at Home at all.

“The local community walk, run, cycle, jump, bake and go to many other amazing efforts to keep what the Care Inspectorate called an ‘excellent, sector leading’ service is remarkable. If it wasn’t for local supporters and fundraisers, Hospice at Home just couldn’t keep going.

“The report highlighted that our Hospice at Home team spoke of ‘feeling privileged’ to be able to support people to die with dignity and respect at home, as is their wish. This is testament to the compassion and professionalism of our skilled team. They build meaningful relationships – at the worst times in the lives – of the people and their loved ones that they’re caring for.”

The Care Inspectorate report stated: “Strathcarron Hospice at Home were sector leading and supported experiences for people which were of outstanding high quality. People were respected and listened to because their wishes and preferences were used to shape how they were supported.

“Staff demonstrate the principles of the Health and Social Care Standards in their day-to-day-practice, and families of people they had supported at the end of their life had nothing but praise for the service. Staff recognised changing health needs and shared this information quickly with the right people.”

Strathcarron Hospice has to raise £14,632 daily to provide the specialist end of life care and services to individuals and their families across its communities. Hospice at Home costs £474,000 per annum and saves an average of six beds days per patient. The cost to care for a Hospice at Home patient, based on an average six days, is £1,437 which equates to £239 per patient, per day.

The report also noted: “People were respected and listened to ensuring that their wishes and preferences were used to shape how they were to be supported. The service was excellent at giving people time to talk and support, and to be empowered to discuss decisions about their end of life care, with one person telling us ‘they always asked what we wanted and had time to answer our questions’.”