Heart-warming tribute brings national award for East Sussex team

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Nov 28, 2014

A heart-warming tribute to the care and support shown by the team at Care UK’s Heather View care home has won its members a national award for providing the best dementia-friendly service.

The Chelwood team from the Crowborough care home on Beacon Road was nominated by Hilary Angel, a resident’s relative.

She said: “It hasn’t been an easy journey for my father – he is a proud man who values his independence and fights his dementia tooth and nail. The team embrace his spirit with kindness and professionalism, knowing a wink, a smile or a joke engages him and enables them to carry out the daily tasks together. They respect him and have earned his respect.”

The resident, who was 94 when he came into the home, was apprehensive about the move but was equally concerned about his dementia. A recent short stay in hospital illustrated just how important the team are to him. Hilary said: “He realised that there was nowhere else he wanted to be other than back at Heather View. The next morning, he beamed with delight, telling me ‘Nine people have already been around to welcome me home’. Yes, that’s right – home. It made me cry.”

The award, which is given for a team who can show that they have gone the extra mile to make a difference to residents’ lives, supporting relatives and sustaining training and development, covers all of Care UK’s 114 care homes across the country.

The tribute to the team touches upon their professionalism and their personal approach. Hilary said: “They have always valued my dad as a person with his own needs and seen it as their responsibility to meet him, in a timely way and creatively, on his terms, not theirs.” She added: “Can you understand the pure joy, as a relative, to be able to go on holiday knowing not only that he is well cared for but that he is happy too?”

Care UK’s director of quality & governance Caroline Roberts, who was also a judge at the awards, said: “The letters from family members were extremely moving. They talked about the little things that make such a difference to the lives of people – ensuring the involvement of family members in capturing and documenting life histories so that colleagues really know each person now and in the past. The passion of this team was truly inspiring.”

Patricia Banks, who received the award on behalf of the team at the Residential Care Services dinner at on Thursday 20 November, said: “We are delighted that our work has been recognised with this award, of course, but the real joy for us is seeing our residents and their relatives truly happy here, with residents feeling really at home and relatives secure in the knowledge that their loved one is both safe and happy.”