The Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership has been shortlisted for a COSLA Excellence award in recognition of its work to support care home residents and staff throughout the pandemic.

The Care Home Assessment and Review Team (CHART) has been placed into the final stages of selection in the ‘Achieving Outcomes in Partnership’ category for the annual ceremony, which recognises excellence in local government service delivery.

The CHART team was established initially to provide expert support to care homes in the Forth Valley area which were caring for residents with Covid-19 during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. This subsequently developed to provide support and advice to care home staff to help monitor care and effectively manage their response to Covid-19 during the ongoing pandemic.

Clackmannanshire and Stirling HSCP Chief Officer, Annemargaret Black, said: “This is a testament to the incredible work carried out by the CHART team over the last 18 months. Our compassionate and committed staff have been working throughout an unprecedented situation, which has come with a myriad of complexities which they have been able to overcome.

“True partnership working and collaboration between HSCP teams, NHS Forth Valley’s public health department and care home teams based on proactive, supportive and two-way communication has been fostered by the CHART team. This in turn, provides the multidisciplinary CHART team with a full picture of how local care homes are responding to the ongoing management of coronavirus.

“The work of the CHART Team has brought significant and sustained improvement in the service provided in care homes across the Forth Valley area and I’m delighted their efforts have been recognised with this nomination.”

On top of the COSLA Award nomination, the Care Assurance Framework developed by the team has also been advocated by the Scottish Government for adoption across the country as a nationally recognised model of excellence.

Cllr Les Sharp, Chair of the Clacks and Stirling HSCP Integration Joint Board, said: “This is thoroughly deserved recognition for the hardworking health and care staff who have forged strong partnerships with local care home staff region in response to the significant challenges posed by Covid-19.

“It is evident that their work from the early stages of the pandemic until now has exemplified how better outcomes can be achieved in partnership and I wish the team the very best of luck for the COSLA awards.”

The COSLA Excellence Awards will take place on Thursday 24th February 2022.