Our outstanding CQC rating
In 2025, Rainbows became the first children’s hospice in England to be rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission across every area of inspection. It’s a rating we’re incredibly proud of, and one that reflects the expert, compassionate care our teams provide every day.
What the CQC is
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It inspects services like ours against five areas, whether they’re safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
An Outstanding rating is the highest a service can achieve, and it’s given only to care that goes well beyond what’s expected.
Our rating
Rainbows was rated Outstanding in all five areas, the first children’s hospice in England ever to do so. It’s a recognition of the care our nurses, therapists and support teams provide to families right across the region.
For us, the rating matters most because of what it means for families. It tells them that when they come to Rainbows, at one of the hardest times any family can face, they’ll find care of the very highest standard, delivered with warmth, skill and compassion.
You can read the full CQC inspection report on the CQC website.
What the inspectors said
The inspection praised the leadership at Rainbows as visionary, inclusive and deeply committed to excellence, with a clear strategy underpinned by compassionate values and a strong focus on person-centred care. Inspectors described a culture of openness, learning and continuous improvement.
Above all, they heard from the families who know us best. Parents described a service centred around their children, where they felt welcome and, in their words, would be lost without Rainbows. One parent told inspectors, “What would I do without Rainbows? They are amazing with me and my child.”
Our commitment to quality
An Outstanding rating isn’t a finish line. We know that caring for babies, children and young people at the most difficult of times carries a real responsibility, and it’s one we take seriously every single day.
So we’ll keep listening to the families we support, keep learning from what we do and keep striving to improve, so that every child supported by Rainbows continues to receive the very best care, now and in the years ahead.