A hospice is “thrilled and delighted” to have been rated outstanding by health inspectors.

An inspection team from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) spent five days at Saint Francis Hospice in April.

Its report, published this week, praised the “outstanding care and support” it provides and said the management, staff and volunteers were “highly motivated and committed” to ensuring people received the best possible care.

Tes Smith, the hospice’s director of quality and care, said: “I am thrilled and delighted we have achieved an outstanding rating following our inspection.

“At Saint Francis Hospice we strive for excellence in all that we do and the services we deliver and the fact this has been validated by CQC gives us even more motivation to keep developing and ensuring we reach as many local people in need as we can.”

The hospice in Broxhill Road, Havering-atte-Bower, provides end of life care to people in Havering, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and west Essex.

Debbie Ivanova, CQC’s deputy chief inspector for adult social care, said, “This is an outstanding example of how a hospice should be run.

“Relatives told us staff understood their emotional needs and focused on their wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of their close family.”

Inspectors also praised the hospice’s staff for allowing “people to experience a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death”.

Chief Executive Officer, Pam Court, said, “Saint Francis Hospice has a truly amazing compassionate and committed staff and volunteer workforce of whom we are tremendously proud.

“I trust our supporters will continue to have every confidence in us to deliver outstanding palliative and end of life care to local people now and in the future.”