Local Care Home First in Newcastle to Receive National Gold Standard for End-of-Life Care
St Catherine’s Nursing Home, operated by regional charity St Cuthbert’s Care, has become the first care home in Newcastle upon Tyne to earn the prestigious Gold Standard Framework (GSF) Hallmark Quality Award. This national accolade, often regarded as the “Kitemark” for quality care, recognises the home’s outstanding commitment to delivering exceptional end-of-life care, ensuring residents not only live well but are supported with dignity in their final days.
Achieving GSF accreditation involved a thorough inspection process, where St Catherine’s excelled, scoring an impressive 71 out of 75 points. This reflects the dedication and skill of the staff team, whose efforts have fully integrated ‘gold standard’ end-of-life care into daily practice.
Dr Kathryn Mannix, renowned palliative care expert, author and trustee of St Cuthbert’s Care, praised the home’s achievement: “This is an incredible accolade for St Catherine’s nursing home and I’m proud to see our charity receive external validation for delivering such holistic, well-led care. I know from experience that talking about death and dying can be very difficult indeed, so it’s wonderful to see in the report that GSF has helped staff feel more at ease in approaching the subject. This, in turn, helps residents and their families feel calmer and more comfortable in expressing their wishes as death approaches.”
Gill Ennis, St Catherine’s Registered Manager, who led the team through this success, commented: “End-of-life care is something I’m deeply passionate about. This award is just recognition for the hard work and commitment our entire team has towards our residents and their families.”
Nic Gilbert, Chief Executive of St Cuthbert’s Care, applauded the result:
“Achieving 71 out of 75 points on our first assessment is fantastic and shows the calibre of care we provide.”
Clinical Lead Sheryl Joseph and Senior Carer Natalie Hailes represented the home at the award ceremony in London. “It was a huge honour to attend,” Natalie said. “We’ve always known about the high quality of care we deliver and it’s wonderful to have it recognised nationally.”
St Catherine’s achievement sets a new standard for care in Newcastle, reflecting local excellence and dedication to supporting residents at every stage of their lives.
