Rainbows is the first children’s hospice in England to be rated “Outstanding” across all five areas

Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People has been rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – the first time a children’s hospice in England has ever been awarded the highest possible rating, achieving Outstanding in all five domains; safe, caring, responsive, effective and well-led.

The report on Rainbows, which provides palliative and end-of-life care for babies, children and young people in its hospice, in hospitals and in homes throughout the East Midlands, has been published by the CQC today (10th September). The CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

Rainbows is also the only hospice in England to currently have the highest possible rating, as the report found it delivered deeply compassionate and exceptional quality care that is safe, person-centred and delivered by highly skilled staff right cross the organisation, from its nursing teams to housekeeping and reception staff.

Inspectors noted the strong sense of identity and pride in all staff captured, a spirit of belonging, and a collective purpose, creating value driven foundations for excellence in care received by babies, children, young people and their families.

Jane Burns, Rainbows CEO, welcomed the report and praised her incredible staff and volunteers. She said: “This recognition means that families can trust that the care, support and love they receive at Rainbows is of the very highest quality.

“Every day I see the extra mile our passionate staff and volunteers go, and how everyone works together to deliver exceptional palliative and end-of-life care for babies, children and young people, as well as providing support for parents, siblings and grandparents.

“For Rainbows to be rated Outstanding in every single domain – a rating that is rarely awarded to organisations – shows just how deeply we’ve embedded our culture of quality, safety, care and excellence. I thank each, and every, member of the team, our families and most of all our babies, children and young people who make Rainbows what it is today – the most outstanding hospice in the country.”

The report details commentaries from families and clinical examples of the extra lengths Rainbows’ teams go to deliver specialist care that is truly person centred. Care that supports families though complex emotions. Some of the examples highlighted by the CQC include:

• Nurse specialists organising a seaside trip for a baby transferred to the hospice for withdrawal of ventilation
• Live streaming of cricket for a young person staying at the hospice
• An impromptu karaoke party which young people really enjoyed and benefited from
• Putting teddy bears on ventilators to reduce anxiety
• Innovations in music therapy and family memory making
• Creating glass memory leaves for a special tree

Rainbows was inspected in June. Members of the CQC spoke to staff, children, young people and their families, while observing the care being delivered, and looking closely at records, processes and systems.

Julie Taylor, Executive Nurse and Director of Clinical Operations at Rainbows added: “To be currently the only hospice in England with Outstanding across all five domains – and the first ever children’s hospice – is truly remarkable, and a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved with Rainbows.

“Over the past five years, Rainbows has worked diligently to ensure our services remain relevant and responsive to the needs of babies, children, young people, and their families, across the East Midlands. We’ve extended our reach beyond the hospice, delivering care in hospitals, communities, and family homes – making Rainbows’ specialist expertise more accessible to those facing terminal or life-threatening conditions.

“In parallel, we’ve developed and embedded a robust governance framework and a strong culture of safety and continuous improvement, which was positively highlighted in the report. We are incredibly proud of our dedicated staff and volunteers whose commitment and compassion underpin everything we do. This report confirms our unwavering dedication to providing high-quality, effective, and safe care to babies, children, young people and their families. The work that has been done to embed our organisational values and learning culture across all departments alongside strong governance processes, is a testament to this.”

Rainbows, which was last inspected in 2016 and had a rating of Outstanding across three areas, has recently launched its new three-year strategy with the aim of being recognised a centre for excellence in Children’s Palliative Care. This most recent inspection report supports its ambitions and enables the charity to progress this work with confidence.

Craig Howarth, CQC Deputy Director of Operations in the Midlands, said: “Young people and their families told us about their very positive experiences receiving care from the hospice’s services, and how much they valued the support from staff. We found care often exceeded people’s expectations, providing valued reassurance during challenging times.

“The service’s whole-family approach to care shone through and helped staff focus on providing care that met young people’s individual needs. Other care providers should look at this report to see what they can learn.”