Michael Sobell Hospice

Updated 14 October 2022

Michael Sobell Hospice is operated by Harlington Hospice Association Limited and opened in 2020. Michael Sobell Hospice is an independent hospice in the London borough of Hillingdon. They primarily serve the community of Hillingdon but does provide care for patients from the surrounding areas of Harrow and Hertfordshire.

The hospice is situated in a building in the grounds of an NHS hospital. The building is fully accessible and has facilities for inpatient care, therapies and family support. The hospice provides adult hospice services that provide palliative care, family support services for adults, children and young people and a night-time home service for palliative and end of life patients. The hospice has 10 inpatient beds. We inspected the service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out an unannounced inspection on 4 July 2022. During the inspection, we visited the hospice’s inpatient unit and we spoke with staff from the hospice at home team as well as patients and family members.

Updated 14 October 2022

This was the first time we rated this service. We rated it as requires improvement because:

• Patient records were not stored securely.
• The service did not ensure all staff completed their mandatory training.
• The service did not always control infection risks well. Staff did not always use equipment and control measures to protect patients, themselves and others from infection. They did not always keep equipment and the premises visibly clean.
• Staff did not always keep patient safe by ensuring infection prevention and control and cleaning measures were sufficient, in place and adhered to. Staff did not ensure the safe storage of controlled substances which may be hazardous to health.
• Staff did not monitor patients regularly to see if they were in pain and therefore may not always give pain relief in a timely way.
• Leaders did not always operate effective governance processes throughout the service.
• Leaders did not run services well using reliable information systems.
• Leaders and their teams did not always identify and escalate relevant risks and issues or identify actions to reduce their impact.

However:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients.
• Staff provided patients with enough to eat and drink.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, and had access to good information.
• Staff were enthusiastic about working at the service and said they had visible leaders.

Updated 14 October 2022