Palliative care Gold Standard Framework awarded to Frindsbury Hall

The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) has been awarded to Frindsbury Hall care home in recognition of the high quality palliative care it provides elderly residents.

Staff from the 74 bed home have undertaken a GSF quality training programme to improve the care they deliver to residents at the end of their lives, through a systematic and evidence based approach to optimise care for residents.

Deborah Mabey, manager of Frindsbury Hall, said: “We are delighted to have achieved the Gold Standard for palliative care.

“The comprehensive training programme has been beneficial to the team in ensuring that we follow accredited best practice to enhance end of life care.”

Frontline staff have benefitted from this training, and through its focus on changing the way whole care homes function, staff can now quickly and professionally care for people at the end of their lives.

Ms Mabey continued: “We have always prided ourselves on the high quality, supportive and dignified care that we provide our residents and we will very proudly display the gold plaque to demonstrate to residents and their families, and the healthcare professionals we work with, that they can expect the very best standard of care.”

The GSF in Care Homes Quality Hallmark Award was established in 2004, four years after the initial Gold Standards Framework for palliative care was created within primary care trusts, and is now the biggest palliative care initiative in care homes in the UK.

Maggie Stobbart-Rowlands, GSF National Centre lead nurse, said: “GSF has become recognised as the kite marked model of best practice for end of life care in care homes, helping individuals and their families to identify homes delivering a ‘gold standard’ of care for all their residents as they come to the last stage of their life. Homes like Frindsbury Hall are setting the standard for care homes across the country.”