Avenues service wins award for outstanding end of life care
Thursday 5th of February 2015Avenues is proud to announce that Hope House, a supported living service in Suffolk, has been commended for outstanding support at this year’s Suffolk GEM Awards.
The GEM Awards are aimed at support workers or services that go that extra mile and are committed to going above and beyond “good” to ensure that the people they support live their lives to the full. The event, which was hosted by Suffolk County Council’s Safeguarding Team and supported by the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB), took place at Trinity Park in Ipswich on Wednesday 21st January.
Hope House was commended in the “My Life, My Choice” category in recognition of the incredible work they did with an individual called Tom. The “My life, My Choice” awards celebrate service providers that design people’s support around the individual.
The team from Hope House were congratulated for their commitment to the wishes of Tom and his family who had decided that Tom should return to Hope House after being released from hospital for end of life care. Tom had lived at Hope House since the age of 18 and despite profound and complex medical needs the team at Hope House supported him to live an active life. He enjoyed swimming and often went away on sailing holidays.
Tom’s health began to deteriorate in 2014. After being admitted to hospital the medical team and Tom’s family decided that he should return to Hope House where he would receive the support he needed. The team at Hope House made every effort to ensure that Tom was living pain-free in a comfortable and reassuring environment. Thanks to his support workers, Tom was able to pass away in familiar surroundings with people by his bedside that knew him well, giving him the dignity and respect he deserved.
The support team went above and beyond what was expected during this difficult time, paying particular attention to ensuring that Tom, his family, colleagues and other residents at Hope House were given the right physical and emotional support.
Peter Snelling, Group Director of Operations, commented: “The staff team at Hope House showed real dedication and commitment to supporting Tom to die at home. I can’t imagine how difficult it will have been for them during this time but they showed a very special approach to caring for Tom, with exceptional standards and genuine team work. The team at Hope House are a real credit to the Avenues Group.”