The Fed’s care home for older people – Heathlands Village – is celebrating a top award for end-of-life care, as well as receiving a nomination the village’s seaside garden at the National Dementia Care Awards.
Under the Gold Standards Framework (GSF), which monitors compassion, coordination and quality in End of Life Care Heathlands Village has achieved Platinum Status, and is only one of two care homes in Greater Manchester, of which there are 561, to attain the status. The national accreditation scheme, which measures nursing care standards in homes throughout the country, awarded the Prestwich home the highest level achievable.
The award was given at the GSF National Conference 2017 and was accepted by Mark Cunningham, CEO of The Fed and Karen Johnson, clinical director. Karen said: “This award is a credit to the wonderful people who work for us. It recognises that the care we provide in people’s final days, gives them and their loved ones total support: physical, emotional and spiritual, with as much choice, control and dignity as possible.”
More awards glory may be in the pipeline too as Heathlands Village has also been selected for the finals of the National Dementia Care Awards 2017 in the category of Best Dementia Garden.
The care home’s seaside garden brings the sights and sounds of the seaside to inland Prestwich. A design incorporating a boat, pier and beach-huts aims to evoke memories of summer holidays and day-trips, and is enhanced by ‘rock’ speakers, hidden among beach objects, which play a soundscape of seaside sounds. Karen Phillips MBE DL, Fed ambassador and former chief executive, pitched the project to a panel of judges in London.
Winners of the highly acclaimed award will be announced at the National Dementia Care Awards presentation dinner at the Doncaster Racecourse, as part of the UK Dementia Congress 2017.
Mark Cunningham, current CEO of The Fed, expressed his delight at reaching the finals: “The seaside garden is a truly life-enhancing feature of Heathlands Village. Environment is key in providing excellent care for people living with dementia. I’m really proud of what we’ve created here and that we’ve made it to the finals.”