Milton Keynes Care Centre Shortlisted For ‘Home Of The Year’ For Excellent End Of Life Care
PJ Care’s specialist neurological care centre, Bluebirds in Milton Keynes, has been praised for its “excellent” care and “attention to detail” for residents nearing the end of their life.
The 25 bed centre has been awarded Gold Standards Framework Platinum status following a virtual inspection in April 2021. Inspectors were so impressed with staff’s end of life care, they have shortlisted the centre for the GSF ‘Home of the Year’ award.
“Everyone just spoke with such passion for the work they did,” inspectors commented. “The centre consistently wants to move forward, continue to improve what they do and also recognises that the most important thing within the home is the resident.”
Like its sister home in the town, Mallard House, Bluebirds is home to people with a range of progressive neurological conditions such as Huntington’s disease and dementia. Many of them will have come to live at Bluebirds at a relatively young age which inspectors acknowledged made conversations about end of life care “10 times harder”.
Their report praised staff for “excellent evidence of care planning, for care being personalised and being given with compassion and dignity.”
Staff at Bluebirds receive training in end of life care from their induction and every year after that. They also have sessions with a Soul Midwife to help them feel more confident in discussing end of life scenarios with families and loved ones.
“We are delighted to receive Platinum status,” said centre manager, Colleen Brothers. “End of life is an integral part of our care, as it is for all care providers. We all want a ‘good death’ and we tailor every aspect of residents’ care right down to the clothes they feel most comfortable in, the linen on their bed and music that they might like to listen to.”
Care continues even after a resident has died with relatives offered support by Bluebirds’ family liaison officer.
“It’s difficult to identify where they need to develop,” the inspector concluded.
This is second consecutive Platinum status Bluebirds has received. It was awarded the same in 2018 and the award runs for three years. The centre will know if it’s been awarded Home of the Year later this year.
