Award for end of life care

Brockington House has won a prestigious national award for end of life care. We have achieved a national Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Quality Hallmark Award in recognition of the way we care for people at the end of their lives.

It follows an assessment carried out at the home in Hafod Road this summer, which included interviews with various staff and evidence being submitted in seven key areas related to end-of-life care. These include advanced care planning, how residents’ wishes are carried out in their final days and how well their families/loved ones are supported.

Brockington House, which is owned by Dormy Care Communities, has spent the past few years preparing for this accreditation and among the initiatives it introduced was arranging training for staff on end-of-life care in partnership with St Michael’s Hospice in Hereford.

It also selected end of life ‘Champions’ within the home to lead on the delivery of high-quality end of life care.

Brockington House Care Community Home Director Shann Thomas said: “We take a holistic, person-centred approach which ensures residents, and their families, are fully consulted at all stages of end-of-life planning.

“This includes discovering how they wish to spend their final moments, for example what they would like to wear, what music they might like playing in the background and who they want to be with them.

“But it’s also about supporting the families and staff and ensuring their needs and emotions are met.

“Ultimately, it’s about making their last months, weeks and days as happy and comfortable as possible and recognising that whilst the end of someone’s life is a sad time, it can also become a celebration of their life too.”

Brockington House was officially presented with its award at the recent GSF Conference and Awards Ceremony in London in September – a celebration of the UK’s best health and care providers for care in the final year of life.

Shann added: “We are honoured to be recognised for our excellence in end-of-life care and this award motivates us even more to continue to work hard to provide the highest standard of care to our residents and their families.”