Staff at Prospect Hospice are celebrating the news that they have been awarded the prestigious Skills for Health Quality Mark for their education services, which support local healthcare professionals working both for the hospice and other local organisations. In attaining the Quality Mark, Prospect Hospice becomes the first independent hospice in the UK to achieve this prestigious award.

The award of the Quality Mark follows a rigorous assessment programme that involved reviews of education sessions by staff at the hospice, the gathering of questionnaires from local healthcare workers from care homes who have been trained by the hospice’s education team and the review of feedback from participants in recent courses. The performance of the team at the hospice was judged against four ‘domains’: ethics and values, health sector engagement/awareness, learning excellence, and the effectiveness of quality assurance arrangements.

The Quality Mark demonstrates Prospect Hospice’s achievement of the highest standards of training expected by Skills for Health, and is an endorsement of the quality of the hospice’s education and training programmes. The assessment report highlighted that the charity’s educators have the right knowledge and skills to deliver high quality training and can evidence an ability to maintain these through continuing professional development. The award follows the hospice’s education team achieving NCFE accreditation last year.

“We are delighted to have achieved the Quality Mark for the education we provide here at Prospect Hospice,” said Rachel Chronnell. “It’s a huge endorsement of the quality of the support that we provide for our own staff at the hospice as well as to local health and social care staff and recognition for the work that we do the equip the next generation of people working in end-of-life care.”

Warren Finney, Head of Community Engagement, said: “I am incredibly proud that we have achieved this fantastic accolade which just demonstrates the strength of our education offering and the ways in which many teams from across Prospect Hospice work so well together to reach our common goals.”

About Prospect Hospice:

Since 1980, Prospect Hospice has been providing the only dedicated end-of-life care service for the 300,000 people living in our Community – bringing care, comfort and confidence, around the clock, every day of the year. It does this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through its 16 bed inpatient unit, Day Therapy Unit, CNS Team and Prospect@Home Service.

Prospect Hospice offers a range of personalised care, advice, education and support services in local communities to help improve the lives of individuals – including their carers and families – with conditions such as cancer; heart failure; respiratory failure; dementia; acquired brain injury; multiple sclerosis; Huntington’s disease; Parkinson’s disease and Motor Neurone disease.

Media enquiries:

For media enquiries contact Felicity Hindle, Communications Officer, Prospect Hospice 01793 816179 or email felicityhindle@prospect-hospice.net