At Signature at Coombe Hill Manor, exceptional care is a shared philosophy that runs through every corner of the home and includes every single member of the team.

As a leading care home, the team is committed to delivering compassionate end-of-life care and palliative care, ensuring residents and families feel supported with dignity, comfort and respect.

What is the Gold Standards Framework?

The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) is a nationally recognised programme designed to help care homes deliver outstanding end-of-life care and palliative care. In a care home context, GSF accreditation means the team has undergone structured training, met rigorous assessment standards, and demonstrated a consistent, whole-home approach to advance care planning, symptom management, family communication and coordinated clinical support. It shows a clear commitment to helping residents live well until the end of life, in familiar surroundings.

That is why Signature at Coombe Hill Manor is proud to hold accreditation with the Gold Standards Framework (GSF), a nationally recognised benchmark for excellence in end-of-life care. Fewer than two percent of UK care homes are accredited, placing Coombe Hill Manor among a small group committed to helping people live well, right up to the end of their lives.

The Journey to Accreditation

The journey to accreditation began back in 2015 and it started, as so many meaningful changes do, with people.

“When I arrived at Coombe Hill Manor, we only had a handful of nurses,” explains Sonya Fenwick, General Manager at Signature at Coombe Hill Manor. “The first step was building the right clinical foundations and investing in training.”

Senior staff attended specialist GSF programmes over several months, learning not just the clinical elements of end-of-life care, but the values and ethos behind it. The framework is built around one simple but powerful vision: people should be supported to live well until they die. That means reducing unnecessary hospital admissions, increasing communication, involving families at every stage, and enabling residents to remain in the place they call home. It is about dignity, choice and compassion.

A Whole-Home Approach to Palliative Care

At Coombe Hill Manor, every department plays a role. Housekeeping teams learn how to adapt routines when a resident is nearing the end of life. Maintenance teams help reshape spaces so residents can remain comfortable and connected, even moving their bed into a lounge so someone could spend their final days overlooking the garden. Carers, receptionists and activities teams are trained to recognise changes in comfort, mood or behaviour and know exactly who to alert. Sonya adds: “It must be a whole-home approach. If it stays with the clinical team, it will fail.”

Families Are at the Heart of End-of-Life Care

From the moment a resident joins the care home, conversations begin gently and sensitively around preferences, beliefs and wishes. These advance care plans grow over time, shaped by everyday conversations, shared memories and small details that matter. As health changes, families are supported through open, honest discussions about what lies ahead and what choices they have.

Every Family Is Different

The home is conscientious about ensuring every family is treated individually and supported in the way that suits them. Some families want to be contacted as soon as the team notice a deterioration, while others prefer not to. Understanding each family’s preferences is vital in caring for residents and supporting those closest to them.

Some have religious traditions that must be honoured with care and precision. Jewish residents may need specific arrangements before a Sabbath. Muslim residents may need their loved one positioned towards Mecca. These details are known, recorded and respected.

Lynne Arenas, Clinical Services Manager, explains: “It brings families real peace when they see that their wishes and traditions are upheld. That matters.”

There is a quiet ritual at Coombe Hill Manor that many family members find moving. When a resident passes away, the family chooses a piece of music. As their loved one leaves the home for the final time, that music plays in reception and staff form a guard of honour.

It began with a son who rediscovered his mother through a shared song at the piano. When she died, he asked if that music could be played as she left the home. Today, it is a moment of collective respect, reflection and gratitude for a life lived.

GSF accreditation also means that clinical care is seamless and dignified. Nurses are trained to verify death, meaning families are not left waiting for external doctors. Symptom management is proactive, not reactive. Members of the team know what to look for, from pain and restlessness to subtle changes in breathing, so support can be provided swiftly and gently.

Hospice partners remain close, but rarely need to step in. They trust the training, skills and judgement of the team.

“Families often think a hospice is the place you have to go to die. What we offer is different. You can come here well, live fully, and never have to be uprooted when your needs change.”

Residents remain in familiar surroundings, cared for by people who know them deeply, even when they can no longer speak for themselves. For families, that continuity offers reassurance and comfort.

The home has retained its GSF accreditation year after year.

Sonya explains her pride in maintaining the accreditation: “When you attend the awards and see hundreds of people who share this passion, it is humbling. To know that we are part of this dedicated network is incredibly special. I still get goosebumps.”

End-of-Life Care at Coombe Hill Manor

Signature at Coombe Hill Manor continues to provide exceptional end-of-life care and palliative care within a compassionate care home environment, ensuring residents and their families feel supported, respected and understood at every stage.

You can find out more about the Gold Standard Framework at goldstandardsframework.org.uk

If you’d like to find out more about care at Signature at Coombe Hill Manor for yourself or a loved one, please visit the Coombe Hill Manor care home page.