102 care homes achieve Gold Standards Framework accreditation or reaccreditation in 2026, with 49 reaching Platinum status as recognition extends across health and social care
More than 100 care homes across the UK have been recognised for their commitment to high-quality end of life care, with 102 homes achieving Gold Standards Framework (GSF) accreditation or reaccreditation in 2026.
Of these, 49 care homes have achieved Platinum status, recognising continued commitment to the GSF approach through successful reaccreditation every three years. Nine care homes have also been nominated for the GSF Care Home of the Year award, with the winner to be announced at the GSF Awards Ceremony in Birmingham on 22 September.
The achievements form part of a wider programme of GSF accreditation across health and social care, with organisations in hospitals, primary care, domiciliary care, hospices and retirement villages also recognised this year.
The GSF approach supports frontline teams to identify people who may be approaching the end of life, understand their needs and wishes, plan care proactively and coordinate support across teams and services. For care homes, this can help ensure that residents receive personalised care in the final stages of life, while families are supported and staff have the confidence to provide high-quality care.
Recognition across health and social care
Alongside the 102 care homes, GSF’s 2026 programme has recognised:
- 14 Platinum hospital wards, alongside five newly accredited hospital teams
- Eight Platinum domiciliary care organisations, alongside four newly accredited organisations
- Seven reaccredited retirement villages, all part of The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, with six achieving Platinum status
- Five GP practices, including three achieving Platinum status
- Two hospices, including GSF’s first accredited Welsh hospice, St Davids Hospice (Hafan Dewi Sant) in Llandudno
Julie Armstrong-Wilson, COO at Gold Standards Framework, said:
“These achievements show the difference that can be made when end of life care becomes part of everyday practice. Across care homes and other health and care settings, teams are becoming more confident identifying people earlier, understanding what matters to them and planning care around their wishes.
“We are incredibly proud of all the organisations that have committed to embedding this approach and continuing to improve the experience of people and families at an important time in their lives.”
Care providers highlight the difference
The achievements also demonstrate how GSF can become embedded within individual care organisations, with providers highlighting the importance of teamwork, personalised care and early planning.
Kingsley Healthcare Group has five homes recognised this year. Eversley Lodge achieved a Platinum Award and have been nominated for care home of the year, while Branksome Heights, Highcliffe Nursing Home, Queen Charlotte Nursing Home and Thorp House achieved GSF accreditation.
Shane Collier, Regional Operations Director for East of England at Kingsley Healthcare Group, said:
“Achieving Gold Standards Framework accreditation is never the result of one good day – it’s built on years of training, reflection and genuine compassion. To see five of our homes recognised in this way, and Eversley Lodge reach the very top with a Platinum Award, says everything about the calibre of care our teams deliver every day for residents and the families who trust us with them.”
At Eversley Lodge, manager Danielle Bullent said:
“End of life care is one of the most important things we do, and it’s a real privilege to walk alongside our residents and their families during that time. We treat every resident like our own family, right to the very end.”
Nellsar is celebrating five care homes being recognised, including Abbotsleigh Care Home, which achieved Platinum status. Lukestone Care Home and St Winifreds Care Home achieved the maximum assessment score.
Beth Fernandez, Quality and Compliance Manager at Nellsar, said:
“These results are an incredible reflection of the commitment our teams have shown throughout their GSF journeys. The programme encourages us to continually reflect on how we can make end of life care more personalised, coordinated and compassionate for every resident.”
Nellsar currently has GSF embedded across 70% of its 13 care homes and aims to extend this across the whole group.
For Camelot Care, this year’s accreditation at Chestnut Lodge follows previous achievements across the group, including Camelot House and Lodge achieving its fifth accreditation.
Paul Teasdale, Director of Camelot Care Group, said:
“The award provides valuable reassurance for those families who entrust the team at Chestnut Lodge with the care of their loved ones, that consistently excellent care will be provided right up to end of life.”
At Hunters Lodge Care Home, part of English Oak Care Homes, the team is also celebrating after achieving GSF accreditation.
Liam Geach, CEO of English Oak Care Homes, said:
“Achieving GSF accreditation is a fantastic recognition of the dedication and compassion of our team at Hunters Lodge. Providing exceptional end of life care is at the heart of what we do, and this accreditation gives us great pride that we are delivering the highest possible standard of care to our residents and their families.”
At Potters Grange, part of family-run Ardale Care Homes, manager Evan Arceo highlighted the contribution of the whole team:
“Behind this accreditation are countless hours of hard work, determination, problem-solving, learning, planning and teamwork. This achievement represents the sweat and tears that have gone into ensuring our residents receive the very best care possible.”
Robert Myers, Head of Care Pathways at Ardale said:
“Being entrusted by a family to support their loved one’s end of life care is one of the greatest privileges a care home can be given. To enable this process to mirror the person’s wishes, and to ensure it is as pain-free and natural as possible, requires a care team with deep clinical expertise and emotional intelligence. These are rare skills, yet the Potters Grange team, under Evan’s leadership, possess them in abundance.
“Half of our homes now proudly hold GSF Accreditation, with planning in place for two more to benefit from their training in the next 2 years.”
Ardale Care Homes has also trained and accredited The Marbrook Centre and Oakham Grange.
At Cliveden Manor, part of Avery Healthcare, accreditation has been welcomed as recognition of the team’s commitment to person-centred care.
Karen Holmes, Manager at Cliveden Manor said:
“Achieving GSF accreditation at Cliveden Manor is a wonderful recognition of the team’s commitment to providing compassionate, personalised end of life care. It reflects the importance we place on understanding what matters to each resident and supporting them and their families with dignity, choice and kindness.”
The organisation also highlighted the value of sharing learning across its homes: “For Avery, it also reinforces our wider commitment to continually developing our approach to care, sharing learning across our homes and ensuring residents receive the very best support at every stage of their journey.”
At Bupa Aylesham Court, part of Bupa Care Homes, accreditation has strengthened the team’s approach to advance care planning and conversations with residents and their families.
Manager, Lucie Mann said:
“Achieving Gold Standards Framework Accreditation is something we are incredibly proud of at Bupa Aylesham Court. As part of the accreditation process, we took time to reflect on how we can continue to improve and build on the care and support we provide. The framework strengthened our approach to advance care planning and encouraged open, honest conversations with residents and their loved ones about what matters most to them.
“For us, this achievement is about much more than receiving an award. It is about making sure every resident is treated with dignity, respect, and compassion, that their voices are heard, and that their wishes and choices remain at the very centre of their care.”
A growing focus on quality end of life care
For many care providers, accreditation is not simply an award but part of a longer-term process of embedding good end of life care into everyday practice.
The impact reported by GSF-accredited organisations is reflected in the GSF Impact Survey where, 97% reported improved experiences of care and 95% said that using GSF had improved staff morale and teamwork.
The findings highlight the benefits of embedding a structured approach to end of life care not only for the people receiving care and their families, but also for the teams providing it.
“Enabling a good death gives a sense of pride to the teams delivering comfort care, with compassion, to ensure the experience is the best it can be.” – Julie Armstrong-Wilson, COO, GSF.
Through training, reflection and accreditation, GSF supports teams to develop a consistent approach to identifying people who may be approaching the end of life, discussing their needs and wishes, planning ahead and coordinating care.
The 2026 achievements highlight the growing commitment across health and social care to ensuring that people receive care that reflects what matters to them and their families.
The GSF Quality Hallmark Awards will bring together representatives from organisations achieving accreditation and reaccreditation in 2026 at the GSF Awards Ceremony in Birmingham on 22 September.
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About the Gold Standards Framework
The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) is a systematic, evidence-based approach to improving the quality of care for people nearing the end of life. GSF supports health and care organisations to identify people earlier, assess their needs and wishes, plan care proactively and coordinate support across teams and services.
GSF accreditation provides external recognition for organisations that have embedded the GSF approach into their practice and demonstrated its impact on the quality of end of life care.
For further information, visit the Gold Standards Framework website: www.goldstandardsframework.org.uk
Lead photo: Thorpe House GSF Accreditation
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