A KEIGHLEY care home which just 15 months ago was told by inspectors it "required improvement" has won a major national award.

In January last year, the Care Quality Commission said Regency Court needed to tighten up medicine management procedures and improve its system for monitoring service quality.

The Thwaites Village home was also rated good in three categories and praised for an "effective, caring and responsive service".

Now it is among just 14 homes from across the UK to receive a Quality Hallmark Award.

The accolade is from the National Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Centre, which provides training in end-of-life care for health and social professionals.

To earn the award, homes have to achieve 20 different quality standards – ranging from leadership and support to dignity and respect – as well as submit a portfolio of evidence.

Regency Court staff received the hallmark – from Frank Ursell, chief executive officer of the Registered Nursing Home Association – at a ceremony in Wolverhampton.

Vicky Thompson – manager of the 20-bed home, which specialises in care for people with dementia – said: "Achieving the GSF accreditation shows that Regency Court looks at the individual as a whole and provides support and information to enable choices and wishes to be embraced – not just now, but planning for the end of life too.

"It enables residents to feel confident in the staff that they will be supported to achieve 'a good death'."

GSF managing director Anne Keating said: "Regency Court has demonstrated not only a commitment to care for its residents according to their wishes right up until the end of their lives, but also put in place all the measures required to ensure that it can actually provide that care.

"It should be congratulated for putting gold quality care at the heart of what it does."

Almost 3,000 care homes have completed the GSF programme since it was launched in 2004 and 600 have gone on to become accredited.

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