A Teesside hospice where patients say staff go "above and beyond" for patients has been awarded an outstanding rating by care inspectors.
Teesside Hospice, in Middlesbrough, received the rating in a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Patients described staff as compassionate, supportive and dedicated to providing the best care.
The CQC heard how they were "so happy to be there" and "could not fault anything" about the hospice and its services.
The inspection covered Teesside Hospice's 10-bed inpatient unit, wellbeing centre, bereavement counselling service and lymphoedema clinic.
Inspectors awarded the hospice an outstanding rating in four of the five areas assessed - effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
Gill Hodgson-Reilly, CQC deputy director of operations in the North East, said: "When we inspected Teesside Hospice, we found an exceptional service where staff and leaders worked hard to provide the best possible care to people at the end of their lives.
"Kind and caring staff understood people's needs and went the extra mile to help make their time at the hospice comfortable and happy.
"Leaders had an exceptional understanding of the service they managed and ensured people were given the best possible care."
The hospice was also praised for the strong communication between staff, patients and their families, as well as its work to support disadvantaged groups and meet increasing demand for care across Teesside.
Heather Stuart, group director of nursing and quality at Teesside Hospice, said: "This is an exceptional reflection of the commitment, professionalism, and compassion demonstrated across all teams.
"To read in the report that inspectors recognised how our department heads and teams really embodied the culture of improving our services and values of our organisation really stands out.
"The whole hospice team - whether that's nursing and clinical staff, housekeepers and cooks, or the admin teams who keep everything running smoothly - go the extra mile every single day and to have that recognised is a huge honour."
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The hospice is also finding innovative ways to reach more people in need of support and end-of-life care across the region - described by inspectors as another example of the dedication shown by staff and leaders.
Chief executive Mike Thornicroft said: "On behalf of myself, our senior leadership team and board of trustees, I want to thank every person who has made this possible, for their exceptional care, passion and dedication to our cause.
"We want to keep building on this, continuing to innovate and reach even more people across the region to ensure that nobody in Teesside has to die without proper end of life care and support."
The full inspection report will be published online by the CQC in the coming days.