Double award celebration at Elizabeth Lodge

Home news

Dec 11, 2011

Staff and residents at a Winchmore Hill nursing home are celebrating their double award success this week.

Care UK provides residential care for more than 5,250 people in 85 homes across England and Scotland and the Elizabeth Lodge team beat off tough competition to win the prestigious Carer of The Year and Outstanding Customer Service awards.

Manager Peter Slaney said: “Everyone was delighted. The team has worked very hard with residents and relatives to build a service we can all be proud of and I will put the award on display as a tribute to everyone who takes part in the life of our home.”

Peter and his team won the Customer Service Award, not only for the general levels of customer care, but for the collaborative approach they have developed with residents and their relatives.

Peter explained : “We are deeply committed to providing the tailored care each individual needs. We generally do this by building up excellent relationships with our residents, so we understand their needs and their likes and dislikes.

“Sometimes it can be hard for a person to communicate, especially in late stage dementia, and it is either easier for a relative to see, or the relative knows from experience, what their loved one would want. By building up trust and a relationship with the relative, we can ensure great continuing care for our residents.”

The team have done this by introducing surgeries, similar to those held by MPs, with the manager and clinical lead nurse on hand to answer queries. These are held once a week, alternately in the afternoon and evening, to ensure that, no matter what the relative’s timetable, they can come to a surgery within a fortnight. Page 2 of 3

Peter said: “These are held in addition to all the other methods of communicating with relatives. They can talk to staff anytime they visit, or they can ring, but these surgeries give people the opportunity to have a longer, relaxed, private chat about the technical issues around their relative’s nursing care. 

“We have found relatives feel more informed and less anxious and we hope it will also lead to better clinical outcomes for the residents, as everyone will understand the treatment programme.”

This collaborative working was further celebrated when Vera Pryce, who has worked at the home since it opened 17 years ago, lifted the award for Carer of the Year. Peter said: “Vera is a great example of a key worker; she is loved and trusted by the residents she cares for and their relatives. She spends time talking to relatives, reassuring them and taking on board their ideas. She is a deeply caring person, she brings in little treats she knows the residents will like and she even visits them, in her own time, if they have to go to hospital.

“Vera is a truly dedicated person and a great ambassador for all we do here at Elizabeth Lodge.”