Nellsar Care Home Group Celebrates Gold Standards Framework success in End-of-Life Care
Nellsar, a family-run group of Care Homes, is celebrating prestigious Gold Standards Framework (GSF) recognition for delivering outstanding, compassionate end-of-life care, with five Homes recognised and two achieving perfect assessment scores.
Sonya Lodge Residential Care Home, Lulworth House Residential Care Home, Lukestone Care Home and St Winifreds Care Home have each achieved the coveted GSF Quality Hallmark Award, while Abbotsleigh Care Home has successfully achieved GSF Reaccreditation at Platinum Status for a further three years.
The latest achievements mark another significant step in Nellsar’s ambition to embed the Gold Standards Framework across all 13 of its Care Homes in Kent, Surrey and Essex.
GSF is a practical, evidence-based programme focused on driving continuous improvement in care for people in the last years of life. Nellsar currently has 70% of its Homes GSF-trained, with the group aiming for all Homes to have commenced training by 2027 and completed accreditation by the end of the following year.
Among Nellsar’s latest results Lukestone Care Home and St Winifreds Care Home both achieved the maximum possible score of 77 out of 77, securing full marks across their assessments.
Lulworth House Residential Care Home achieved 74 out of 77, while Sonya Lodge Residential Care Home achieved 73 out of 77. Throughout the assessments, Nellsar’s Homes were praised for their passionate and experienced team, strong and consistent leadership, homely culture, excellent dementia care and collaborative approach to working with families and healthcare professionals.
Julie Armstrong-Wilson, Chief Operational Officer for GSF: “Nellsar demonstrates what can be achieved when organisations embrace a strategic, whole-home approach to improving end of life care. With five further care homes recognised in 2026, two achieving perfect scores, and a clear commitment to extending GSF accreditation across the group, Nellsar is setting an impressive example of excellence in care.
“These achievements highlight not only the quality of care being delivered today, but also a commitment to continuous improvement that will benefit residents and families for years to come.”
Meanwhile, Abbotsleigh Care Home’s successful Platinum Status reaccreditation recognises its continued commitment to delivering compassionate, person-centred end-of-life care. Assessors praised the Home’s warm and welcoming atmosphere, leadership, dedicated team members and excellent family support, highlighting the consistency of care provided throughout the Home.
Beth Fernandez, Quality and Compliance Manager at Nellsar, said: “These results are an incredible reflection of the commitment our teams have shown throughout their GSF journeys. The programme encourages us to continually reflect on how we can make end-of-life care more personalised, coordinated and compassionate for every resident.
“To see two Homes achieve perfect scores, alongside such strong results across the group, is something everyone involved should be extremely proud of.”
The achievements build on Nellsar’s previous GSF successes, with Bromley Park Care Home, Loose Valley Care Home and Meyer House Care Home among the Homes to achieve the Quality Hallmark Award last year.
Nellsar’s GSF journey began in 2015 with the accreditation of Princess Christian Care Home in Woking, laying the foundation for a culture of reflective practice, person-centred care, and continuous improvement. Most recently, Princess Christian achieved GSF Platinum reaccreditation for 2024–2027 with a perfect 100% score, placing it among the top 0.03% of all UK care homes for end-of-life care quality.
The group’s approach is underpinned by empathy, equity, professionalism and a commitment to continuous improvement. Martin Barrett, Managing Director of Nellsar, outlined: “Our ambition is to deliver a true gold standard of care for every resident, whatever their condition or circumstances. We want every resident to live well in the later stages of life, with care shaped around their individual wishes and what matters most to them.”
