Updated 17 April 2024
Butterwick Hospice is a purpose-built hospice located in Stockton on Tees, operated by Butterwick Limited. The service provides end of life care for adult patients living in the Stockton Borough Council geographical area. It is registered as a charitable trust and receives additional funding from the NHS. The hospice is fully accessible and has appropriate facilities for a maximum of 8 inpatients at any one time. Facilities comprise of 6 single rooms with ensuite bathrooms and 2 single rooms sharing 2 bathrooms. The site is in its own landscaped grounds, adjacent to the local NHS trust, with its own car park and is well sign posted. The hospice provides adult hospice services that includes palliative and neurological day-care, family support services and a home visiting service for palliative care and end of life patients. During our last inspection we rated the service as inadequate and we placed conditions on their registration. During this assessment we looked at quality statements across 4 key questions. We found the service had made significant improvements, since our last inspection. For example, they now ensured systems were in place to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of service users. Improvement in overall governance was noted, including ratified policies and procedures, referenced to current best practice guidance. The service had clearly defined admission criteria. We saw effective partnership working with the local NHS trust, with formal service level agreements now in place. We saw that patients felt supported by staff and involved them in their care and treatment. Managers supported staff and appropriate processes were in place to ensure they had oversight of the service. We rated this service as good overall.