Nursing

St Teresa`s Home for the Elderly has proudly held the Gold Standards Framework award with a Beacon Status for excellence in End of Life Care, since September 2010. 

Sr Patricia, Loyola Goodsell (Matron) and Shairoon Ramdeo attended the ninth annual GSF Conference in London where they received the prestigious Hallmark Award for Quality.

What is the Gold Standards Framework?

The National Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Centre in End of Life Care is the national training and coordinating centre for all GSF programmes, enabling generalist frontline staff to provide a gold standard of care for people nearing the end of life.

The aim of the Gold Standard is to achieve the best quality of life for residents, particularly towards the end of life. It is about enabling “people to live well, until they die”, regardless of their diagnosis.

The idea is to deliver a gold standard of care for people as they near the end of their lives and to reduce the need for crisis hospital admission.

Key Developments that are incorporated into GSF

For all residents there is a register and coding system which reflects their current health status. Regular planning meetings to discuss agreed plans of care of dying residents and after death meetings take place, to look at how we could have improved this time.

Collaboration with Palliative Care Team to anticipate physical symptoms and to reduce these symptoms where possible, before they cause problems.

A notice board giving all who come to the Home information about the Gold Standards Framework.

Information and communication with other relevant providers to include out of hours services.

All residents now have an Advance Care Plan which incorporates a `thinking ahead` form. This forms allows discussions about the wishes and preferences of residents should their health deteriorate. These include preferred place of care, resuscitation or any anxieties they may have.

The Key Champions for GSF at St Teresa`s Home are Loyola Goodsell, Sr. Jennifer Brown and Shairoon Ramdeo.