Debbie Day and Cedars Care Home have won the East of England Great British Care Awards’ Palliative/End-of-Life Care Award this year.
Home manager Victor Zingoni, end-of-life lead Debbie, deputy manager Anna Holdstock and other representatives from Cedars picked up the award at a glitzy ceremony in Milton Keynes recently.
The judges were impressed by Cedars’ compassion and dedication, as well as Debbie’s innovative approach to caring for people who are approaching the end of their lives. They said: “Debbie has developed a family book to support families during end-of-life care and encourages residents to write letters to loved ones after they pass. She often comes in on her days off to provide comfort, reading personalized stories with accompanying sounds to evoke memories. Referring to herself as a ‘Soul Midwife’, Debbie offers compassionate care in their final moments.”
Victor says: “I’m immensely proud of the team at Cedars for their dedication in end-of-life care. To recognised regionally and go forward to the national finals shows the sheer hard work put in by the team. Well done everyone for achieving such an outcome!”
“Our end-of-life care is supportive, meaningful and loving. To have this recognised as outstanding by the judges, among so many other entries, is a real honour for all of us here,” adds Debbie.
This is the latest accolade for the home this year. Cedars was recently re-accredited as part of the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) and received the organisation’s Quality Hallmark Award, after having carried off the coveted Support for Family Carers Award at the Palliative and End-of-Life Awards in the summer.
Cedars was also finalists in no fewer than four other categories at the Great British Care Awards. These were the Care Home Registered Manager Award for Victor, the Care Home Activity Organiser Award for the activities team – Debbie Day, Lisa-Marie Carter and Sharon Rodway – plus the Care Assessor/Care Planner Award for Anna Holdstock and Debbie Day. In addition, the entire home team reached the top ten across the East of England region in the Care Home Team category.
Debbie, Victor and the home now go through to the national finals in March. The home will compete with all the other regional winners of the palliative/end-of-life trophy, and an overall winner will be selected.
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