The CQC rated Thames Hospice Outstanding overall on 3 August. Caring and Responsive were Outstanding, three areas Good, and inspectors found out-of-date stock.

Thames Hospice has kept its Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission. The regulator published the report on 3 August, following a two-day onsite assessment on 13 and 14 January. Inspectors said the hospice showed “a kind and caring workforce, underpinned by a team of dedicated and passionate staff”. They also found some clinical equipment and a medicine that were out of date on the inpatient units. (CQC assessment report for Thames Hospice, published 3 August 2026)

The hospice, on Windsor Road beside Bray Lake in Maidenhead, is a charity. It provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults in East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire. (CQC assessment report)

The ratings, area by area

The CQC scores five areas separately, then gives an overall rating. Thames Hospice was rated:

  • Overall: Outstanding
  • Safe: Good
  • Effective: Good
  • Caring: Outstanding
  • Responsive: Outstanding
  • Well-led: Good

(CQC, Thames Hospice ratings)

Panel showing the Care Quality Commission ratings for Thames Hospice from the report published 3 August 2026: Outstanding overall, Caring and Responsive rated Outstanding, and Safe, Effective and Well-led rated Good

The CQC’s four levels are Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. It says Outstanding means a service “is performing exceptionally well”. (CQC, about inspection ratings)

What inspectors saw

The assessment was a comprehensive onsite one. The CQC says it went in “because of the length of time since the previous assessment”, not in response to a concern. (CQC assessment report)

The report describes a purpose-built building with 28 ensuite bedrooms across three wings. One wing was out of use for refurbishment in January. That left room for up to 20 inpatients at the time of the visit. The hospice also runs Hospice at Home, outpatient services, counselling and bereavement support. (CQC assessment report)

Inspectors spoke to some patients and families. Their summary records “positive experiences of the service, including how staff were capable and caring”. It adds that people “were grateful for the professional care received and felt they were listened to and treated individually”. (CQC assessment report)

The one thing they flagged

The report carries a single “however”. Some clinical equipment and a medicine were found to be out of date on the inpatient units. The CQC says processes existed to manage those items. It puts the lapse down to “a recent change on inpatients wards” that had left “a lack of oversight”. (CQC assessment report)

That is a change from the last inspection. When the CQC visited on 2 and 3 August 2021, it reported that staff “managed medicines well”. (CQC inspection timeline, report published 11 October 2021)

The 2021 visit was the first time this location was rated, and it was rated Outstanding then too. The Outstanding rating has therefore now been held across two assessments five years apart. (CQC inspection timeline)

What the hospice says

Thames Hospice published its response on 11 August. Its statement highlights the Outstanding ratings for Caring and Responsive. It does not mention the out-of-date stock. (Thames Hospice, 11 August 2026)

Katharine Horler OBE, chair of Thames Hospice, said the board was “incredibly proud” of the result. She thanked staff, volunteers and the executive team.

Dr Rachael de Caux, chief executive, called the rating “a testament to the quality of care and support we strive to provide for our patients and families every day”. She singled out the registered manager, Loren Selby, who leads the clinical services.

A patient receiving care at the hospice is quoted in the same statement. She said she had arrived thinking she had less than a week to live, and was now going home for a while. (Thames Hospice, 11 August 2026)

What it means for you

If you or a relative may need hospice care. Thames Hospice covers East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire, which takes in Windsor, Maidenhead and Ascot. Care is not limited to the inpatient unit: Hospice at Home, outpatient appointments, counselling and bereavement support all sit under the same registration and the same rating. Referrals go through the hospice, and it runs a 24-hour telephone advice line. (Thames Hospice, inpatient care)

If you want to check the rating yourself. The full report and the rating history are on the CQC’s page for the location, Thames Hospice, Windsor Road, Maidenhead SL6 2DN. Ratings on a poster or a website can be out of date; the CQC page is the live record.

If you give to the hospice. It is not an NHS service. The hospice says NHS England funds about 30 per cent of its operating costs, and that it needs to raise £39,000 a day to run its services 365 days a year. That figure is the hospice’s own. (Thames Hospice, about us)

If you have a concern about care. The CQC does not investigate individual complaints, but it uses what people tell it to decide where and when to inspect. You can give feedback on care through the same page. The hospice also publishes its own compliments and complaints route.

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