Waterlooville care home achieves gold standard for palliative care

A care home in Waterlooville has earned a prestigious accreditation recognising its high standards of care for residents in the later stages of life.

The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Quality Hallmark Award has been presented to Care UK’s Pear Tree Court, on Portsmouth Road in Horndean, highlighting exceptional end-of-life nursing care for residents and support for their families.

Developed in 2004, GSF is a practical and evidence-based end-of-life care service improvement programme. It is centred around ensuring people live well in the last years of their lives and pass away comfortably in the environment and manner of their choosing.

Aimee Sparks, Home Manager at Pear Tree Court, said: “We’re humbled our work to ensure residents lead happy and rewarding lives, especially in their final days, has been recognised through receiving this Gold Standard Framework accreditation.

“The team puts their all into delivering exceptional care for residents throughout their time with us, making certain every person feels their wishes are heard and respected.

“Our compassionate team members ensure residents are treated with dignity and respect, and offer practical and emotional support to families to help them through this difficult time.”

The home achieved an outstanding score of 60/75, with the report praising a holistic approach that ensures all residents, at whatever stage of life, can find fulfilment. This includes ensuring activities are individually tailored to need and ability, helping them to live well on their life journey.

Personal relationships are built with each resident to promote comfort and wellbeing, and family needs are also identified, with the home continuing to support relatives after their loved one has passed away.  

Aimee Sparks added: “Our commitment to the best in end-of-life care runs through everything we do, whether it’s the handovers we have after every shift, the regular meetings we hold together, the resident chart we update regularly or the ongoing training our team members undertake.

“We continually reflect on the way we provide care and look for new ways to improve our knowledge and ways of working.”

Pear Tree Court is a state-of-the-art care home that provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. It has its own cinema, pub and hair and beauty salon, and boasts plenty of space indoors and out for relaxation and recreation.