Children’s hospice on par with major hospitals
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Very Special Kids, a Victorian-based children’s charity, has achieved National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards Accreditation (NSQHSS), earning the eight-bed children’s hospice the same stripes as the country’s largest hospitals.
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards Accreditation, usually reserved for large government-funded health providers, was independently undertaken by Very Special Kids to ensure its services were of the same standard as the organisations that refer patients for hospice care and family support.
The organisation excelled in its engagement with families, resulting in the NSQHSS survey team recommending a Met with Merit (MM) rating.
Very Special Kids Acting CEO Kara Briggs said it’s essential that the care the organisation provides is centred on a family’s needs and delivered with excellence.
“With NSQHSS accreditation, both families and health professionals can have additional confidence in the services we provide.”
Very Special Kids supports 900 families across Victoria that are caring for children with life-threatening conditions, by providing access to Very Special Kids Hospice for respite and end-of-life care, and psychosocial support for parents and siblings.
The free-of-charge services include counselling, advocacy, sibling support, bereavement support, networking and peer activities, trained family volunteers and specialist care at the organisation’s hospice.
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