Since October 2020, Vita Safety has provided tailored health and safety support to Bury Hospice, focusing on assurance and compliance, particularly in regulated environments. This partnership has enhanced the hospice’s safety culture, bolstered ability to assure partners and donors, and enabled continued exceptional care, demonstrating the value of specialised, adaptive support in healthcare settings.
Bury Hospice
Since 1991, Bury Hospice has provided compassionate and outstanding palliative and end-of-life care for patients and their families. They continuously develop their services to ensure they continue to meet the needs of people with life-limiting illnesses across Bury. Excellent patient care is at the heart of everything they do.
Operating on a £4.5m annual budget and receiving only 13% of its funding from the NHS, Bury Hospice significantly depends on fundraising and retail activities, including charity shops, to sustain its operations.
Meticulous risk assessments, thorough audits, and dedicated safety training are crucial to Bury Hospice’s operations, showcasing their commitment to safety and quality care. This focus ensures a secure environment for both patients and staff, reinforcing the trust of donors and volunteers essential for the hospice’s financial sustainability and ongoing community service.
Finding health and safety support for tailored requirements
Bury Hospice approached Vita Safety seeking consistent hands-on health and safety support. They operate in a regulated environment, abiding by CQC regulations, meaning closely monitored health and safety processes are imperative.
Additionally, as a not-for-profit organisation, everything they raise is reinvested into the business. Dedicated to spending as much income on patient care as possible, there is no room for wasted budget. We achieve this by building a positive relationship due to a deep understanding of their services and operations.
With fundraising accounting for 90% of business capital, donors are more likely to contribute to causes that they recognise as well maintained, operated and compliant. The hospice leant on Vita Safety for the implementation and governance of effective health and safety measures to facilitate this trust.
More recently, Bury Hospice’s health and safety needs have evolved alongside its growth. There’s a more strategic, organisation-wide focus on health and safety, rather than placing the responsibility on a single health and safety lead for various sites and events.
Our goal has expanded to include deeper engagement with managers, directors and senior leaders, embracing a broader responsibility and focused health and safety strategy across the hospice.
A proactive approach to evolving health and safety needs
Vita Safety’s approach and solutions have remained the same until this year. We undertake audits first thing in the year, giving Bury Hospice time to report to their board of trustees from a compliance perspective. They then implement an action plan, ensuring all health and safety policies are kept up to date. This is then approved by their board of directors.
We also provide ongoing advice and support. If there’s regulation changes that will impact their operations, we inform the hospice promptly and support them in taking immediate action.
Our focus is now on enhancing internal operations and supporting senior staff, providing them with specialised health and safety training that’s specifically tailored to their roles and work environments.
We’ll review internal operations, shifting the focus onto senior employees, training them to the highest standards in health and safety, tailored specifically to their work environment.
Perhaps one of the more significant changes to note, is that health and safety practices will be engrained into the culture of the hospice. This shift from just annual audits to continuous monitoring and management will mean that health, safety and wellbeing has now become an integral part of the hospice’s core values.
Installing proactive safety measures
As a result of our ongoing audits, reporting and health and safety training, Bury Hospice has experienced significant improvements in three key areas:
Continuous improvement
Through consistent and proactive support from Vita Safety, the hospice has seen continual improvement and effectiveness in their health and safety regulations over time. During a recent meeting between Ian Hutchings (Vita Safety Managing Director) and Jane Banks (Quality, Governance & Compliance Lead, Jane expressed her satisfaction with the quality and responsiveness of our services.
“Vita Safety have played an instrumental role in helping us to realise our ambitions in regards to Health and Safety. With their support we have established a robust, and resilient framework of accountability, reporting and proactive actions. We are now confident in our performance and able to provide assurance to the CQC and other governing bodies around our Health and Safety standards” – Jane Banks, Bury Hospice.
Risk prioritisation and reduction
By leveraging our deep understanding of Bury Hospice’s unique risks and challenges, we’ve worked together to implement targeted measures that mitigate those risks. This has resulted in tangible reductions in health and safety risks year on year.
A solid foundation of trust
Bury Hospice’s solid reputation is strengthened by implementation of strong health compliance and governance measures, providing more reassurance and motivation for trustees and the hospice community. This also contributed to fostering a healthy work environment. By prioritising the wellbeing of their workforce, they have created a culture that aligns with their core values as a charity. Providing suitable support for colleagues and employees puts them in a better position to care for their patients and the wider community.
By prioritising continuous improvement and close collaboration, Bury Hospice have strengthened their commitment to providing compassionate care by building and maintaining a safe and supportive work environment. Our ongoing partnership underscores the importance of proactive risk management and regulatory compliance.
Looking ahead
Our partnership with Bury Hospice will remain collaborative, providing them with consistent guidance and yearly audits like we’ve always done.
We wish to ensure that all staff are engaged in health and safety practices, so that they are aware of their personal responsibility, as well as the responsibilities of those around them.
Busy Hospice’s growth brings promising potential for future infrastructure developments. We recognise the importance of staying ahead of evolving regulatory requirements, especially in regard to fire safety. Consistent updates will be fed back to their teams, leading to heavier involvement from us in the future.
Our continual support and facilitation of growth through reinforced health and safety practises allow Bury Hospice to operate to their full potential, providing the best care for their patients.
