31 August 2012 Last updated at 07:52 ET

Boston's Butterfly Hospice still waiting for patients more than a year after opening

A Lincolnshire hospice that was officially opened by Princess Anne last year is still waiting for approval from the Quality Care Commission.

The £1.5m Butterfly Hospice in Boston took two years to build, but fundraising lasted almost 12 years.

An NHS Lincolnshire spokesman said the facility could open "before the end of the year".

Hospice chief executive Judi Byrne said she was working with the NHS to complete the QCC registration.

Mrs Byrne said the hospice had to "tick all the boxes" with its registration in order to demonstrate "the quality and safety" of the hospice.

The hospice will offer palliative care to anyone over the age of 18 years with a progressive illness in south-east Lincolnshire when registration is complete.

Princess Anne opened the hospice in a ceremony in April 2011.