A care home in Twickenham is celebrating after winning a competitive national award.

Care UK’s Whitefarm Lodge, on Vicarage Road, won ‘Best for Non-Clinical Facilities’ at the Care Home Awards thanks to its team members’ involvement in the Namaste Care programme. 

The annual awards recognise excellence and innovation in UK care homes and this year took place virtually.

The Namaste Care programme, which has been designed to enable people with advanced dementia to feel loved and recognised as individuals, was piloted by Care UK in 2019, and rolled out across a number of care homes, including Whitefarm Lodge.

Judges were impressed by the rigorous training team members went through in order to host Namaste Care sessions, where small groups of residents living with dementia take part in special activities in a relaxing setting, including massages.

Since the trial was completed, team members at Whitefarm Lodge have trained other colleagues, so more residents can benefit from the scheme.

Shane Cosgrove, home manager at Whitefarm Lodge, said:

“We are thrilled to have won ‘Best for Non-Clinical Facilities’ at this year’s Care Home Awards. There was tough competition, which makes the achievement even more special to us. 

“Ever since the Namaste Care programme has been introduced, the whole team has worked incredibly hard to become Namaste Care Practitioners and have delivered sessions for small groups of residents up to five times a week – with some fantastic results for those living with dementia.

“The past few months especially have been challenging for everyone at the home, so I know this award means a lot to the team and I’m delighted to see their efforts rewarded.”