A SALTBURN care home is among the first in the region to achieve Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) status – ensuring armed forces veterans living at the home will benefit from enhanced care and support.
Hazelgrove Court Care Home, on Randolph Street, has met the rigorous standards required to be declared a “Veteran Friendly Care Home” under the scheme.
The VFF launched in 2023 with the aim of tackling loneliness and isolation and delivering improved health and wellbeing outcomes for over 25,000 veterans living in care homes across England.
It 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.
Among the veterans living at Hazelgrove Court Care Home is 86-year-old James Crook, who served in the Army from 1956 to 1959. He was immediately sent to Cyprus after a state of emergency was called by the British government when nationalist organisation EOKA began an armed campaign to end colonial rule.
James said: “I had just become engaged to the love of my life, Betty, and it was hard to leave her. We kept in contact with letters during my service.”
Fellow resident 91-year-old Joseph Brian Shaw, who prefers Brian, served in the Army during the 1956 Suez Crisis, which saw Britain, France and Israel invade Egypt to recover control of the Suez Canal.
Brian oversaw the war horses being used in the conflict, working in the extreme heat with no sun protection. He developed a cancerous growth on his face, which he still receives treatment for to this day.
To achieve VFF status, Hazelgrove Court 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 offered.
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 Hazelgrove Court Care 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.
“This programme will benefit both current and future residents, along with current and future staff at Hazelgrove Court, who are able to access enhanced training and guidance to better engage with the unique military experiences that their residents and partners have lived through.
“Being a VFF care home means that there is an increased understanding and recognition for the veteran community at Hazelgrove Court.”
Sharon Lewis, activities coordinator at Hazelgrove Court Care Home, led the application for VFF status, highlighting several related activities to support with the application.
Among them was knitting woollen soldiers and poppies as part a D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations, writing thank you cards to D-Day Veterans via The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society, knitting teddies for the children of Ukraine, handing out toy soldiers on Remembrance Sunday to raise awareness, and participating in The Foundation Stones initiative to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides.
She said: “I am so proud of everyone at Hazelgrove Court for working towards this amazing achievement in being awarded VFF status. This wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for our fantastic residents and veterans living within our home.”