BURY Hospice is celebrating a new era after it was given a ‘good’ rating by the Care Quality Commission after its latest inspection.

Inspectors came into the hospice in March and praised every aspect of the service and management– the service was described as safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

The ‘good’ rating comes at a time when Bury Hospice has appointed Suzanne Carr to the full-time general manager’s role – Ms Carr has been in temporary charge over the past year.

Ellie Burke as the head of clinical services has led the clinical team to this success and the two are now hoping to work together to take the hospice forward towards a sustainable and successful future.

Bury Hospice, in Rochdale Old Road, provides care through its inpatient unit, hospice at home and day care services.

The latest CQC report praised all aspects of the service saying patients and their families were cared for “with the utmost compassion, kindness, dignity and respect”.

The staff were praised as “knowledgeable and committed” and for their “kindness and caring attitude” as well as being “suitably qualified and competent”.

The report stated: “We saw that patients were assisted in a way that respected their dignity and privacy.

“We observed respectful, kindly and caring interactions between the staff, patients and visitors.

“The patients looked extremely well cared for.”

The report recognised that there were safeguards in place to protect patients from abuse; there were safe and effective systems in place to manage medication; the hospice was secure and well-maintained and staff understood the laws in place for people who may be unable to make their own decisions.

The report noted that the care records for each person were well-kept, and that patients were presented with a choice of “suitable and nutritious food”.

Leadership and management was also praised by inspectors, after a torrid two years for the hospice during which former chief executive, Jacqui Comber, was sacked after a report claimed there were “significant failures” in the management of the hospice.

Miss Comber took the charity to a tribunal and this year won a case for unfair dismissal.

Inspectors observed that: “Following the last inspection a full review of the governance structure had been undertaken and a new chairman, interim general manager, and a new board of trustees have been appointed. 

“The registered manager told us they had brought to the hospice considerable experience of leadership in the hospice and healthcare environments and a diversity of other organisational and professional experience.”

It also praised the interaction and care for the families of patients, adding: “Visitors were made welcome and the staff recognised and considered the importance of caring for the needs of all family members and friends.”

Professor Eileen Fairhurst, who was appointed chairman in January this year, said:  “It is a great achievement to achieve a CQC rating of good in a relatively short period of time since the last inspection.

“The staff at Bury Hospice deserve a huge amount of credit as do our amazing volunteers.”