A care home in Sevenoaks is celebrating after receiving a commendation and a shortlisting in two national care awards.
Residents and team members at Care UK’s Weald Heights, on Bourchier Close, are celebrating after receiving a highly commended recognition in the ‘Best for Nursing Care’ category in this year’s 2023 Care Home Awards. The Care Home Awards recognise and reward excellence and innovation in UK care home management, operation and delivery.
To add to their success, the team has also been shortlisted for ‘Team of the Year’ at this year’s Nursing Times Awards, which will take place at a prestigious awards ceremony in October.
Unlike many other care homes, every member of the senior leadership team at Weald Heights is a qualified nurse. As a result, outstanding nursing and the values that accompany it are at the forefront of every aspect of life at Weald Heights. Since opening in 2017, three team leaders have qualified as nurses, with a further three working at the home who are currently in their second year of university as nursing students.
This level of nursing expertise and experience in a range of specialisms, including catheterisation, tissue viability, dementia care, and end-of-life care, means the majority of a residents’ care can take place within the home where residents feel most comfortable. This reduces the need for residents to attend hospital and in many cases allows them to receive end-of-life care in the home rather than the local hospice.
In both awards, judges praised how this strong nursing team has built excellent partnerships with other local healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, GPs, district nurses, speech and language specialists, dieticians and the local hospice. Judges highlighted how these relationships have led to additional training opportunities for the team at Weald Heights to better their caring practice.
Key to the Weald Heights approach to resident care is that each resident lives a full and meaningful life where they are encouraged to continue pursuing their hobbies and interests. Working with lifestyle team members, the nursing team help to make residents’ wishes come true as part of Care UK’s wishing tree initiative.
Recent wishes at Weald Heights have included a trip to the opera, a visit to an Aston Martin dealership for a former motor racing fan, and a visit from a granddaughter and her new husband in full wedding attire for a resident who was unable to attend the wedding herself due to pandemic restrictions.
Maria Covington, Home Manager at Weald Heights, said: “We are thrilled to be highly commended in the ‘Best for Nursing Care’ category at this year’s Care Home Awards and to be shortlisted for ‘Team of the Year’ in this year’s Nursing Times Awards.
“Here at Weald Heights, we work incredibly hard to support residents with compassionate, person-centred care, and these awards show just how dedicated the team is at looking after every individual’s needs. I would like to say thank you for their hard work and dedication, which I know is also greatly appreciated by residents and their families.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating our commendation with residents and look forward to the awards ceremony in October – fingers crossed for a win!”
