To achieve their Veteran Friendly status, Timken Grange care home was required to meet eight standards. These included: noting Armed Forces status within care plans; addressing social isolation; and signposting to support services, such as their local Royal British Legion branch, and other charities that provide support for veterans or partners of veterans.
The aim of the VFF is to better support the practical, emotional and social needs of the Armed Forces community in residential care homes across England by providing training and resources to assess and improve the care they offer. It will help tackle loneliness and has the scope to deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes for the estimated 25,000 veterans living in care homes in England.
Home Manager Louise Mulvany said: “We are very pleased to be part of the VFF and we are looking forward to embedding this over the next year.
“Applying for VFF status is a big undertaking for any care home and I would like to thank my colleagues and residents for their commitment and effort in achieving this – we are truly proud to be a Veteran Friendly home.”
As part of this initiative, Timken Grange recently hosted the Rushden veterans breakfast club, further solidifying its ongoing efforts to engage with and support local veterans. The breakfast club offered veterans a chance to come together and connect with others who share similar experiences.
Jack Waterfield is a 103-year-old veteran living at Timken Grange care home and he is very excited that it has become part of the Veteran Friendly Framework.
After attending the Rushden veterans breakfast club, Jack said: “It was wonderful to see the care home supporting veterans in such a meaningful way. The breakfast club is a fantastic idea—it gives us a chance to meet up, reminisce, and enjoy a cup of tea together. Speaking with other veterans who had similar experiences and understand what it was like is an honour - there are not many of us left now.”
The VFF is a collaboration between Armed Forces charities Royal Star & Garter and the 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.
Kathryn said: “We’re delighted that Timken Grange has achieved VFF status. This is a great testament to their continuous improvement in the delivery of person-centred care for veteran residents and their partners.
“The application that Timken Grange submitted was of an exceptionally high standard and fully recognised the dedication, passion, and commitment the team has for providing high-quality person-centred care for residents, and colleagues alike, along with forging some really meaningful connections to the armed forces community and NHS services.”
Any care homes interested in receiving more information about the VFF can visit www.starandgarter.org/veteran-friendly-framework, email VFF@starandgarter.org or call Kathryn on 07435 326070.
More information about Timken Grange.