Hemel Hempstead care home recognised for exceptional end-of-life care

A care home in Hemel Hempstead has received national recognition after winning the Palliative Nursing Home Provider Award at the Palliative & End of Life Care Awards 2026.

Water Mill House Care Home celebrated its win on July 2 at the Hilton Bankside in London. The prestigious award recognises the team’s exceptional compassion, innovation and person-centred care, making a real difference to residents during their end-of-life journey.

Located on Rose Lane, the 65-bed care home provides expert care to adults with a range of support needs including rehabilitation following a stroke, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s, as well as residential, nursing, specialist dementia and end of life care.

The award celebrates the home’s outstanding approach to supporting residents and their loved ones, combining clinical excellence with genuine warmth to ensure individuals experience dignity, comfort and compassion at the end of life.

Water Mill House has been Gold Standards Framework (GSF) Platinum Accredited since 2019 and delivers personalised care centred around each resident’s wishes.

Victoria Forsythe, manager at Water Mill House, said: “When families place their loved one in our care, they are placing an enormous amount of trust in us, particularly during the final chapter of someone's life. We know these are moments that families will remember forever.

“We want every resident to feel safe, comfortable and surrounded by compassion, while helping families make the most of every precious moment together. It’s about listening to people’s wishes, treating them with dignity and making sure they know they are never alone.

“I’m incredibly proud of our team. This award belongs to every one of them and reflects the compassion they show each and every day.”

Through detailed advance care planning and close partnership working with healthcare professionals, the team enables residents to remain in the place they call home wherever possible, reflecting the home’s commitment to avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions and providing compassionate end-of-life care in familiar surroundings.

The judges praised Victoria and her team for the innovative ways they support residents and families before, during and after the end-of-life journey.

In their feedback, they said: “Victoria has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication by introducing innovative concepts to ensure that all individuals feel valued and remembered. Her efforts, supported by her staff team, include initiatives such as the establishment of a Legacy Orchard and the creation of the Caring Circle for monthly meetings with current and former residents' family members.

“She is truly a compassionate and very thoughtful individual who goes above and beyond in making the end-of-life journey for her residents and their loved ones as smooth a transition as she can make it.”

Alongside its clinical expertise, the home offers holistic support through initiatives including bedside Namaste Care, massage, reflexology and emotional wellbeing sessions. Residents are also encouraged to continue pursuing meaningful experiences through the home’s Wish Wednesday initiative, recent wishes have included an elephant experience at Whipsnade Zoo and a ski lesson from Disability Snowsports UK.

Families receive ongoing support through the Caring Circle bereavement group and the Legacy Orchard, which provides a lasting place to remember loved ones.

For one resident’s daughter, the support she and her family received made the whole situation “a little easier to handle” when her father died at the home earlier this year.

She said: “Every member of the team was so supportive and kind, nothing was too much trouble for Dad and our family. Simple things that were such a comfort, such as adding a shelf to his bedroom so that he could see his treasured photos from his bed and making sure he had his familiar belongings around him.

“Dad was treated with the utmost respect, love, kindness and dignity right up to his final moments. We have always been made to feel part of the Water Mill family.”