8 August 2025
Over the last 18 months, Heron Hill Care Home has been on an important journey to enhance the quality of care we provide, particularly around end-of-life support. We are delighted to share that this dedication has been recognised with the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Accreditation, awarded in August 2025 with an outstanding score of 73/75.
When we first signed up to the GSF programme, we committed to improving how we deliver compassionate, dignified, and person-centred end-of-life care. As part of this process, we identified key team members to attend specialist training, ensuring knowledge and best practices were cascaded across the wider team.
We also undertook a full review of our training, care provision, and environment, developing a detailed action plan to guide our progress and gather the necessary evidence for accreditation.
As part of our GSF journey, we implemented several new initiatives to better support residents, families, and staff:
After death analysis to reflect and improve our practice.
More local training in end-of-life care, with additional focus on family support.
A dedicated family resource: “What to Expect at the End of Life”, a booklet created by one of our team members and now shared with families.
The Snug – a former store cupboard transformed by our maintenance team into a quiet, private room for families needing time for themselves.
GSF information boards for both staff and families, keeping everyone informed and involved.
A Remembrance Corner to honour and reflect on those we have cared for.
In May 2025, the GSF accreditation team visited Heron Hill to review our progress and assess our practices. Following the submission of our portfolio and a thorough home visit, we were officially awarded GSF Accreditation in August 2025.
Receiving such a high score of 73 out of 75 is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and compassion of our entire team.
While this recognition is a milestone achievement, it is also the beginning of our continued commitment to providing the very best in end-of-life care. We will carry on embedding GSF principles into everything we do, ensuring every resident and their family feels supported with dignity, respect, and compassion.
