Residential care home in Tameside is one of the first to adopt an end of life approach

The forward thinking team at The Sycamores in Tameside have been recognised for helping to improve the experience of those reaching the end of their life in a care home.

The Sycamores was one of a small band of homes in the area selected to pilot 6 Steps to Success, a programme run by the NHS to deliver the best end of life care. Following months of work to develop systems and services for existing and future residents, the home submitted a portfolio of evidence for review by the NHS team. At a recent award ceremony at Hyde Town Hall, the team from The Sycamores were recognised by the PCT as successfully completing the NHS 6 steps to Success programme.

[pictures show The Sycamores in a leafy part of Newton, Hyde and the sun lounge at The Sycamores]

6 Steps to Success is aimed at residential care homes rather than nursing homes. It is designed to provide 'best practice' end of life care. Introducing the approach in a residential setting is quite new with only a small number of homes in the area chosen by the NHS team running the 6 Steps to Success programme.

The 6 Steps programme enables care homes to implement the structured organisational change required to deliver the best end of life care. "We wanted to make sure that we provided the very best care and experience for residents and their families." commented Lynn Davidson, Manager of The Sycamores. "I'm delighted that we've demonstrated best practice in this area and our approach and services have been recognised as such by the local NHS team".

[pictured are The Sycamores Care Assistant Elizabeth Neill, Manager Lynn Davidson along with Macmillan Nurse, Pauline Sumner and her colleague Julie Murphy, a trainer for the end of life programme and The Sycamores Night Care Assistant Wendy Brown]

Provision of a dignified death is an essential part of the service that all Meridian homes provide. Nursing homes within the group adopted the Gold Standards Framework many years ago and many of the Meridian homes have achieved Beacon Status under the scheme. This is the highest accolade awarded to care homes for their end of life care.

The programme has been such a success within The Sycamores that with the support of the PCT, Meridian plan to roll out the approach to other homes in Tameside.

Ends.

Meridian Healthcare grew out of local authority roots, starting with a small number of homes transferred into the independent sector by Tameside Council. With the support of staff, some of whom are shareholders in the business, the organisation has gradually acquired and built care homes to its own exceptionally high standards. Meridian now own 29 care homes with the latest opening in April 2012 in Huddersfield. Meridian Healthcare is also under contract to provide short stay dementia services for Oldham Council at the recently re-opened Limecroft Care Centre in Oldham.