A Cornwall hospital ward has been named Ward of the Year for its outstanding end-of-life care.
Lismore Ward at Helston Community Hospital received the honour at the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Awards 2026, which took place in Birmingham on September 22.
The award recognises excellence in end-of-life care delivery, and the ward also achieved platinum accreditation from the GSF, the UK's leading quality improvement programme for end-of-life care.
Trudy Addington, sister at Helston Community Hospital, said: "We were delighted to be nominated and are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded GSF Community Hospital Ward of the Year 2026.
"We have been working hard to achieve this accolade for some time, and the success is thanks to the dedication of the whole team at Helston.
"An extra special thank you to Bryony Tresidder and Naomi Halliwell, who collated the evidence to demonstrate the amazing end-of-life care provided by the ward."
The GSF aims to ensure that every person receives high-quality, compassionate care during the final years of life, regardless of their condition, care setting, or provider.
Helston, Launceston, and Stratton community hospitals each received platinum status, recognising three consecutive years of maintaining the highest standards of care.
Emma Cases, end-of-life care clinical facilitator for Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CFT), said: "Achieving and sustaining a gold standard of care for people at the end of life requires collaboration across all staff on the wards and takes a real team effort to sustain the level of clinical diligence needed.
"All 3 community hospital wards were able to demonstrate this to the GSF assessment panel, but what really stood out is the genuine connection hospital staff have with their local communities, including volunteers and League of Friends, who work together to keep patients and their families at the centre of everything they do.
"It is such a privilege to be part of, and we are extremely proud of everyone involved."
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