Widnes Hall care home celebrates achieving VFF status, enhancing care for veterans

Widnes Hall care home in Halton, Cheshire hosted a celebration to mark its achievement of receiving Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) status. This milestone recognises the home’s ongoing commitment to providing exceptional care for the Armed Forces community. 

Widnes Hall is honoured to be the first care home in Halton to be awarded Veteran Friendly status.

To commemorate the occasion, Widnes Hall opened its doors to members of the local community, welcoming residents’ families, friends, and even the Mayor of Halton, Councillor Martha Lloyd Jones. Halton Libraries contributed to the celebration by bringing wartime memory boxes and local history books, sparking nostalgic conversations and recollections.

The afternoon also included a performance by local entertainer Becky Williams, as well as raffles and a tombola.

To round off the day, Alan Woodward, an Anchor resident and proud veteran, having served 12 years in the 2 Para Regiment, unveiled Widnes Hall’s very own commemorative plaque to mark the care home’s accomplishment.

To achieve their Veteran Friendly status, Widnes Hall care home was required to meet eight standards. These include, acknowledging Armed Forces status within care plans; addressing social isolation; and signposting to support services. 

The aim of achieving VFF status 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, it will help address some of the issues faced by veterans and has the scope to deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes for the estimated 25,000 veterans living in care homes in England.

Amanda Ashton, Home Manager at Widnes Hall said:

It’s a real honour to celebrate Widnes Hall’s VFF status with our residents, their loved ones and the local community. A joyful day of laughter, memories and community spirit, giving our veteran residents the recognition they deserve.

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 Anchor’s Widnes Hall care home 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 Widnes Hall care home submitted was of an exceptionally high standard and wholly 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.

For more information about Widnes Hall, please click here.