Mulberry Court, The Fremantle Trust’s 24-bed dementia specialist care home in rural Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, has won a trio of awards at a prestigious gala dinner in Birmingham.

The sixth annual Dementia Care Awards celebrate innovation, architecture, people, products and services within dementia care across the UK.

Mulberry Court picked up the accolade for Best Interior Dementia Design, Hazel Greenway came home with the Best Dementia Care Manager award and senior carer, Jodie Smiles, won Best Dignity in Care Champion.

The care home was refurbished in 2013 to create an environment tailored specifically to meet the needs of people living with dementia. With spacious, airy en-suites, each person’s room is individually crafted before admission to create a familiar environment, down to the inclusion of furniture, fabrics, paintings and objects of significance.

Design is carefully considered, with personalised ‘busy boxes’ for those who enjoy craft and pleasant communal spaces with objects of interest to spark activity and conversation.

Music and radio enhance the environment, and windows look out onto views of the garden so residents can enjoy each seasonal bloom. Every effort is made to create a homely, nurtured environment, which reflects the thought and compassion that underpins the local care provider’s approach.

The success of the home is clearly a testament to the leadership, as Hazel Greenway is an experienced manager who introduced an assessment process at Mulberry Court that involves dedicating time to observe the individual in their familiar home environments in order to recreate daily habits, settings and behaviours that are intrinsic to their wellbeing and help enhance individual’s quality of life.

Senior carer at Mulberry Court, Jodie Smiles, captured the attention of the judges by striving to provide the best possible care – the kind she would give to her own grandparents. She is an excellent role model for the team and works alongside new starters as part of their induction process.

Commenting on the award, Hazel Greenway said:

We are thrilled to achieve this recognition. As a team, we are passionate about providing person-centred care and support for people living with dementia, from the detail in the design of our environment, to the thought and empathy that goes into day-to-day life. Jodie is an exceptional carer who consistently goes the extra mile to make residents feel special, and this has a tangible impact on people’s quality of life.

Steve Flanagan, chief executive of The Fremantle Trust, added:

We’re really proud to be setting the standard in dementia care and our approach is informed by continuous learning and the latest innovations in this area. It’s great to see recognition for the incredible effort Hazel, Jodie and the team put in to making people feel special.