Northern Ireland Hospice

HL Deb 07 January 2003 vol 642 c173WA

Lord Rogan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Flow the level of expertise in specialist palliative care can be maintained during the proposed inquiry into the work of Northern Ireland Hospice Care. [HL662]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Hospice as an independent voluntary organisation. However, the level of specialist palliative care provided by the Northern Ireland Hospice has been inspected, and will continue to be inspected, by the Eastern and Northern Health and Social Services Boards' Registration and Inspection Units, which have statutory powers to ensure that a good standard of care is provided for patients at the adult and children's hospices respectively and to take action if patient care is affected. Recent inspection reports have found that the standard of patient care is satisfactory.