News

Derian House Children’s Hospice has been rated Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following its latest inspection, recognising the charity’s high-quality, compassionate care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.

Inspectors praised the hospice’s outstanding person-centred approach, describing the service as “exceptional” at putting children and families at the heart of care choices.

The report also praised facilities at the Chorley-based hospice, which includes 11 bedrooms for children and young people, family apartments, and specialist Sunflower Suites where families can spend time with their child after death.

Inspectors said the hospice environment felt “more like a home than a hospital.”

A team of inspectors visited the hospice, which supports more than 400 seriously ill babies, children and young people from across the North West, on 23 September, 2025, for an unannounced inspection.

During the assessment they spoke to staff, leaders, trustees and families who use Derian House. They also looked at care records, policies and procedures, complaints, incidents, and watched staff at work.

The CQC assesses services across five key areas: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Derian was rated Good in all areas, with particularly strong scores in caring and responsive.

The report states:

“The provider was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity.”

Inspectors also highlighted the extraordinary care given to children and young people after death in the hospice’s Sunflower Suites. Families are supported to spend time with their child in a personalised and comforting environment, with staff adding meaningful touches such as favourite toys and children’s television programmes.

Families told inspectors that Derian’s care goes “above and beyond to support the whole family and not just the child,” including helping families make memories together through holidays, days out and special activities.

The inspection was carried out using the CQC’s new Single Assessment Framework, which assesses services against a wider range of quality statements and evidence sources than previous inspection models.

Karen Edwards OBE, Chief Executive of Derian House, said: “We are incredibly proud that the CQC has recognised the quality and compassion of the care delivered at Derian House every single day.

“This rating is a reflection of the dedication of our amazing staff and volunteers, and the trust that families place in us to care for their children at some of the most challenging times in their lives

“We’re particularly pleased as we were inspected under the CQC’s new framework, which assesses against a wider range of evidence sources, and therefore makes it more difficult than ever to achieve a Good rating.

“We feel very proud of the community of families, supporters and colleagues who together make Derian House such a special place. While we’re pleased to be rated Good, our ambition remains to achieve Outstanding, and we are already working on the areas identified for improvement.”

Read the full report here.