Elysium Neurological’s Stanley House praised and reaccredited by Huntington’s Disease Association

Assessors for the Huntington’s Disease Association (HDA) have praised Stanley House’s ‘person-centred and inclusive approach’ as they renewed the home’s Quality Assurance Accreditation.

In the past two years, Stanley House Care Centre Director Heidi McCarthy and her team have been working to achieve reaccreditation in 2025 by implementing HDA suggestions and striving for clinical excellence.

The Huntington’s Disease Association Quality Assured accreditation is a rigorous quality assurance program that sets the standard for care homes supporting individuals affected by the condition. It evaluates and identifies the essential behaviours, organisational culture, and specialised services required to ensure residents receive high-quality, person-centred care tailored to their unique needs. 

In the last assessment, Stanley House was praised for its approach to positive risk-taking, which allowed individuals to make their own decisions and exercise choice. This time, the assessors were impressed by the way the team worked to ensure individuals didn’t lose their identity and strived to improve their quality of life.

Speaking of November’s visit, the HDA assessor said: “All the staff we spoke to have a good understanding of HD and a passion for looking after the people in their care.

“We spoke to Carolyn, who is the STMVA lead, as well as the Activities Co-ordinator and she was so full of enthusiasm to make the residents’ lives the best they could be. The approach to activities, and the person-centred and inclusive approach, was of particular note.”

Heidi said that this feedback was particularly gratifying for the team, who care deeply about the experiences of the people they care for.

Heidi said: “We’re delighted to have achieved reaccreditation and to hear such positive feedback about our approach to care and supporting our residents to live the lives they choose. We know how important it is for each person to participate in the activities they enjoy and put a great deal of importance on facilitating those sessions. The positive impact of activities on the well-being of residents can’t be underestimated.”

The HDA Quality Assured programme aims to improve the experience of families when choosing a care home for a loved one affected by Huntington’s disease. A significant number of families have reported negative experiences during this process, and the programme seeks to provide reassurance by ensuring that essential standards are in place. By upholding these core standards, it guarantees that residents receive high-quality, specialist care tailored to their needs.

Stanley House was assessed across nine categories for both the initial accreditation and this reaccreditation and took careful note of suggestions for improvements that the HDA assessors made.

The assessor remarked: “It was really positive to see how [Stanley House] approached suggestions for improvements, having made changes since their previous accreditation and following on suggestions both at the visit and before the report had even been completed.”

Having achieved reaccreditation, Heidi hopes that the Quality Assurance will help families looking for a suitable home for their loved one living with HD feel reassured.

Heidi said: “When families are looking for somewhere that can offer high-quality Huntington’s care, it can be an emotional and challenging time. The HDA Quality Assurance Accreditation allows them to be confident in choosing our service because we’ve met that high standard. We’re grateful for the guidance and support from the HDA and feel proud to have been reaccredited this year.”

Find out more about Elysium Neurological at elysiumhealthcare.co.uk