Belong Achieves Gold Standard For End-Of-Life Care

Dementia specialist Belong has earned the Quality Hallmark Award for demonstrating best practice in end of life and palliative care for its customers, following Gold Standards Framework (GSF) assessments at its Warrington and Newcastle-under-Lyme villages.

Assessors from the national organisation responsible for training and quality standards in the sector praised the not-for-profit group’s ‘village living’ model as conducive to high care standards and helping to promote the independence of people as much as possible. Activities provision, focus on exercise and falls prevention awareness, and relationships with external bodies, such as music therapy charity, Nordoff and Robbins, were amongst the examples of strengths highlighted.

The report commended ‘clearly dedicated staff’ who work alongside families to prepare for the final stages of life, prioritising dignity, compassion and a person-centred approach. Family communication and Belong’s in-house Admiral Nurse were also cited as key indicators in the appraisal which summarised: ‘whole team support for residents and families at end of life, from housekeeping team to reception and all care staff.’

The evaluations also took into account family testimonials, including one wife of a resident, who said of the carers: “They don’t just care for the residents, they do actually love them … [we are] very appreciative of all the support offered to us. When things are not good, they are always there.”

Speaking of the accolades, Sue Goldsmith, Belong’s chief operating officer, said: “Dealing with the subject of death is often still taboo, but we recognise how imperative it is that we support customers to experience a good death. This starts with being able to open channels of communication, both with residents and their families, to prepare well for end of life. Providing exceptional care that meets people’s preferences is never more important than at this difficult time.

“We are therefore pleased to be accredited with two sets of top scores for the GSF Quality Hallmark Award, which serve as testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams who have perhaps one of the most challenging but rewarding of jobs.”