More than 90% of hospices in England rated 'good' or 'outstanding' by regulator

More than 90% of hospices in England have been rated "good" or "outstanding" in the first wave of new inspections, the Care Quality Commission said.

More rigorous inspections were introduced at the end of last year, allowing the public to make more informed choices about palliative care.

So far 37 hospices have been inspected, 10 of which were judged "outstanding", 24 as "good", two as "require improvement" and one "inadequate".

CQC's Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Andrea Sutcliffe, said the results of the first inspections were "very encouraging".

She said: "This is just what we should expect and what people certainly deserve at the end of their lives.

"Success starts with strong leaders who motivate, value and support skilled staff to go the extra mile in sensitively caring for every single person as an individual."

The CQC will have reviewed all 25,000 adult social care services by September 2016, including the further 287 hospice and hospice home-care services.

Jonathan Ellis, director of Policy and Advocacy at Hospice UK, said: "Our country's hospice movement is one of the major reasons that the UK is ranked as the best in the world in meeting palliative care needs but we must not be complacent.

"Hospices have a great deal to offer, and are working increasingly closely with hospitals, care homes and other social care services."