Local Care Home Awarded Top Status In National Care Standards Framework

Staff and residents at Care South’s Queensmead care home in Christchurch are celebrating after being awarded the coveted “Beacon Status” by the National Gold Standards Framework, which aims to ensure a ‘gold standard’ of care for all people near the end of life.

The accreditation process involved 18 months of training, including four best practice workshops, and focused on helping staff to identify the needs of residents at each stage of their life and plan dignified care plans on that basis.

To gain accreditation by the Gold Standards Framework (GSF), care providers are required to undertake self assessment against 20 key standards, to develop a portfolio of evidence demonstrating best practice and are visited by an approved Gold Standards Framework assessor.

Emma Cotton, Acting Home Manager at Care South’s Queensmead, said: “We’re thrilled to have been awarded the highest rating by the Gold Standards Framework. At Care South, we strive to provide the highest standard of care and ensure that we’re constantly challenging ourselves to provide the very best care. The Gold Standards Framework has allowed us to formalise and consolidate the values we were already working to and to ensure we are being consistently open with our residents and their families.

“Achieving the highest rating in the framework is testament to the hard work that every member of the team has put into demonstrating the requirements outlined by the framework and the passion with which they deliver dignified care to our residents.”

Maggie Stobbart-Rowlands, GSF Lead Nurse said: “Staff in homes like Queensmead are the drivers of a real transformation in care homes. By implementing the key measures of the Gold Standards Framework, built on communication and coordination, Queensmead is providing its residents with the personalised care they deserve as they approach the end of their lives.”