Seven Anchor care homes in Yorkshire achieve Veteran Friendly Framework status

The care homes met the eight standards required to reach the necessary benchmark in an endorsement by Star and Garter of their “dedication, passion and commitment”. 

The homes are Knaresborough’s The Manor House, Grassington’s Gills Top, Ripon’s Borrage House, Guiseley’s Primrose Court, Keighley’s Townend Close, Selby’s Firth House and Headingley’s Halcyon Court.

Kathryn Glass, Royal Star and Garter’s VFF Project Lead, said:

The applications submitted by all seven homes were of an exceptionally high standard and a testament to the dedication, passion, and commitment the home has for providing high-quality person-centred care for residents and colleagues alike.

I would like to thank all the Anchor colleagues at the seven homes for their hard work and commitment to undertaking this framework and for being so welcoming to the VFF Team.

This programme will benefit both current and future residents, along with current and future staff at each location, 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. Having seven care homes achieve VFF status is a significant achievement, both by the individual homes and Anchor as a business.

Rob Martin, Anchor’s Managing Director of Care Services, said:

This is a fantastic achievement by all the homes involved and they should be truly proud of the hard work they have put in to achieve veteran friendly status. I couldn’t be more proud of them all.

The standards the homes had to meet included referencing 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 25,000 veterans living in care homes in England. 

Other Anchor homes that have previously achieved VFF status include Israel Sieff Court care home in Manchester, Eric Morecambe House in Morecambe, Lightbowne Hall in Moston, Beechfield Lodge in Salford and Millfield in Oldham.

Any care homes interested in receiving more information about the VFF can visit here.