The team and residents at a not-for-profit Normanton care home are beaming with pride after achieving Veteran Friendly status.
Sanctuary Care’s Sherwood Forest Residential and Nursing Home has just been awarded Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) status, in recognition of their dedication to support the practical, emotional and social needs of the armed forces community living in care homes.
As part of their commitment, the home established strong links between their veterans and local community groups like the Royal British Legion. They work closely with HMS Sherwood, who provide expert guidance for staff on how PTSD can affect veterans, visiting Sherwood Forest to spend time with their residents.
Personnel from HMS Sherwood were guests of honour at the home for a celebratory tea party recently, where they presented the home with an honorary plaque.
The Sanctuary Care home’s Regional Manager Raschel Smith and Home Manager Donna Lukoschus said: “Working through the accreditation for our VFF status really opened our eyes to understanding the lives of veterans and their families, and has given us the ability to connect more closely with people we support and truly appreciate their experiences and interpretations of events.
“We are truly humbled and grateful for the connection to HMS Sherwood, which brings this to life. This is now part of the fabric of the home and standard we are proud to uphold.”
As part of the framework the home has dedicated champions, who have undertaken specialist training, which they then use to train their colleagues on how to provide the very best support to their veterans and the loved ones of veterans. They ensure that any external healthcare professionals who see their residents are fully aware of their service status, and place poppies on bedroom doors to remind visitors.
Every member of the team is passionate about their commitment, for example the home’s Maintenance Operative created a stunning wooden silhouette, which the residents decorated with hand-painted poppies, for Remembrance Day.
Sherwood Forest, which provides residential, nursing, dementia and respite care, is built on the old Normington Barracks, and is Sanctuary Care’s second home to achieve the VFF status, joining The Park Residential and Nursing Home in Chaddesden.
The VFF is a collaboration between Armed Forces charities Royal Star & Garter and Royal British Legion and NHS Veterans’ Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), with funding support from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
Kathryn Glass is the VFF Project Lead at Royal Star & Garter and responsible for supporting and assessing care homes going through the scheme. She said: “We’re delighted that Sanctuary Care’s Sherwood Forest Residential and Nursing Home has achieved VFF status. This is a great commitment to their continuous improvement in the delivery of person-centred care for veteran residents and their partners.”
Sanctuary Care has been delivering trusted care to older people for over 25 years. For more information, visit: www.sanctuary-care.co.uk/enriching-lives
