Standish residential home wins national award

Support workers and residents at Kingshill Residential in Standish are celebrating after winning a prestigious national award for working together to deliver exemplary care and support.

The team at Kingshill, which is operated by national health and social care charity Making Space, was announced as the winner in the Co-Production category at the national finals of the Great British Care Awards. TV and radio presenter Rylan Clarke handed Kingshill team members Stephanie Short and Shelley Parkin their trophy at a glittering gala dinner held at the Birmingham ICC.

Kingshill, which provides residential accommodation and 24-hour personal care and support for people living with severe mental illness, scooped the national award after winning the north west regional final in November.

The Co-Production category recognises care teams who involve the people who use their services in the design and delivery of care. Judges selected Kingshill to receive the accolade after hearing how residents are involved in all aspects of the service, from choosing furniture to selecting menus, helping with fundraising activities, recruiting staff and volunteers, and holding their own monthly meetings to discuss all aspects of their own care.

The judges praised Kingshill for “embracing co-production as a fundamental ethos, where residents are seamlessly integrated into the care team.” They added: “This fosters connections with the broader community and exemplifies the pinnacle of person-centric care.”

Colette O’Neil is the registered service manager at Kingshill. She said of the awards success: “We are absolutely delighted as a service to win both the regional and national GBCA awards for co-production.

“As a team, we strive to ensure that residents are at the core of everything we do. Winning the award has been extremely empowering for everyone involved as it is evidence of the hard work, commitment and dedication our residents and colleagues show to continually improve the quality of the service we provide.”

Mark Storey is regional head of operations for Making Space in Wigan. He said: “For Kingshill to be recognised as the pinnacle of co-production is an incredibly proud day for everyone here at Making Space. We’re thrilled that the hard work and dedication of all our colleagues and residents has been recognised by the GBCA judges at a national level.

“Co-production at Making Space is an intentional act and starts from the principle that everybody has valuable skills, knowledge and experience to offer. It’s about combining mutual strengths and working together on an equal basis to achieve positive change, breaking down invisible barriers and doing things with people rather than doing things to people or for people.”

The Great British Care Awards are an annual celebration of excellence across the care sector and pay tribute to people who are outstanding in their field of work.