Farleigh Hospice is registered to provide care and treatment to adults and older people who have a life-limiting illness or condition. The hospice’s website states, “Farleigh Hospice exists to meet the needs of local people affected by life limiting illnesses and to support those who have been bereaved.”

The hospice is a registered charity and offers a wide range of services, tailored to meet each individual’s medical, emotional, psychosocial and spiritual needs. Services are delivered in the way that meets the needs of each person and their family and in the place that suits the person and their family best. This can be in the person’s own home, in the day care centre at the hospice or in the hospice’s in-patient facility. The majority of the hospice’s services are delivered to people in their own homes.

We visited the hospice site at Broomfield on 6 and 14 December 2016. On the first day there were five people staying at the hospice. We met the people who were staying at the hospice and their relatives as well as people who received care in their own homes and who were attending the day care centre. On 10 January 2017 we spoke on the telephone with a number of bereaved relatives who also used services provided by the hospice, such as the bereavement service. We also spoke on the telephone with relatives of people who were using the community or hospice at home services.

Farleigh Hospice was purpose-built about 15 years ago, very close to the Broomfield Hospital site. The hospice has an exceptional range of facilities and includes an in-patient ward, facilities for people’s relatives, a restaurant, day centre, shop and reception area. The sanctuary is a multi-faith, quiet space which is open for everyone to use if they wish to. The Lantern Suite consists of a number of rooms where services such as out-patient clinics, counselling, bereavement services, hairdressing, art therapy and a range of other complementary therapies are provided.

Farleigh Hospice had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager had been in post for a number of years.

People and their relatives were effusive in their praise of the staff and the services provided by the hospice. Staff were exceptionally caring, kind, compassionate and respectful of people’s privacy and dignity. The hospice fulfilled its values in a culture which kept the person at the very centre of their care and treatment. Everything was based on the needs, wishes and preferences of the individual and how those needs, wishes and preferences could be recognised, supported and met. The hospice strived to give each person the highest quality of care during their life and the best, most comfortable death possible.

Staff supported relatives of the person before, during and after death for as long as, and in whatever way, the relatives needed. The bereavement service offered support to any adults who needed it and who lived in Mid Essex. The YoYo project supported bereaved children across mid-Essex. The services were offered at the hospice, at the child’s home or at their school, which meant the services were accessible to all children. The staff ran workshops for school staff to help them know how to support a bereaved child.

There were enough staff deployed to care for and support people in the way they preferred. Pre-employment checks had been carried out for new staff and volunteers to make sure they were suitable to work/volunteer at the hospice. Staff received a wide range of training relevant to their role, which made sure they had the skills and knowledge to care for and support people who were affected by life-limiting illness. St

During our visit we were able to talk with two people who were using the service, one relative, three members of the staff team and two volunteers. This enabled us to gain an insight into the services offered at Farleigh Hospice and to find out what people thought of the care and support they received.

People told us that they had been given the opportunity to visit the service before deciding whether they wanted to attend and their consent had been obtained before any care or treatment had been given. One person told us: “I have always felt in control of my decisions and supported in my choice of care I want to be provided.”

We were told that the staff and volunteers were very supportive and nothing was too much trouble. One person explained: “They can’t do enough for you.”

There was a very relaxed atmosphere throughout our visit and staff and volunteers went about their duties in a happy and cheerful manner.

Everyone spoken with was very satisfied with the support provided at Farleigh Hospice. One person told us: "I find it very therapeutic and supportive.” Another person explained: “It couldn’t be more different than my experience’s in the hospital I feel like I am being treated as an individual. The staff and the volunteers are all marvellous; it has been a positive experience.”

We spoke with two people who use the service. Both said they were made to feel very comfortable and that they had experienced a good admission process. They said they were given good information about the hospice before they were admitted and that they would feel comfortable in raising any issues with staff.

Both people with whom we spoke said they were very happy with the care they were receiving, with one of the people describing it as ‘incredible’. They were very complimentary about the food and felt that staff were very caring. One person said that the doctors explained everything well and clearly, whilst the second person commented that staff attend them very quickly if they called them.