Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has praised Glasgow's Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice and backed ambitious plans for its future.
The Deputy First Minister visited the "jewel in the crown" of palliative health care to present a prestigious people management award.
The hospice is one of only 45 organisations in Scotland to have been accredited with Investors in People 'Gold' status.
It is the first healthcare institution and the first hospice to join the elite club, which recognises world-class people management practices.
The MSP for Glasgow Southside said: "The hospice movement generally does fantastic work and the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice is certainly one of the jewels in the crown."
Hospice chief executive Rhona Baillie, said: "We're absolutely delighted, it's a recognition of all the work that the staff have done here and our emphasis on the patients, families and giving high quality of care."
The Evening Times is backing ambitious plans to create a £15million new-build facility on a site by Bellahouston Park, aimed for completion in 2016.
It would provide specialist palliative care for young people aged between 15-25.
Ms Sturgeon praised the new-build venture, saying: "Obviously there's lots of work to be done, challenges along the way, but the idea of having a purpose-built facility that will allow the hospice to continue to develop the services it delivers, I think is a great idea and I'm thoroughly supportive of it."
Dozens of the hospice's 147 staff gathered in the day services unit to witness the award ceremony.
Investors in People is the national standard for leading, managing and developing people and is used by more than 20,000 employers across the UK.
In order to earn Gold status, companies must demonstrate a minimum of 126 requirements above the Standard award.
Peter Russian, chief executive of IiP Scotland, said the hospice had achieved the highest score of almost 600 companies reviewed in the last year.
He said: "We're working with about 10 hospices in total, but they are leading the way."
The 45 companies in Scotland that currently hold the Gold standard include; Young Scot, G1 Group, Cassiltoun, Provanhall, Shettleston and Partick housing associations, plus Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Stow and Reid Kerr colleges.
Maureen Henderson, chairwoman of the hospice board, said: "The most important things for us are the patients and their families, but we need staff to deliver that care.
"The IiP really is about communication, about leadership and empowering staff with knowledge."
The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, which was founded as a charitable trust in 1981, must raise £2.8m annually from fundraising and voluntary donations to carry out its work.
if you would like to help go to: www.ppwh.org.uk/ or contact The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, 71 Carlton Place, Glasgow, G5 9TD. Tel: 0141 429 5599.
maureen.ellis@ eveningtimes.co.uk