Awards for very special people

Staff from care homes across the borough will be recognised for the high-quality care given to residents at the end of their lives.
Staff at the launch of Hospice in Your Care HomeStaff at the launch of Hospice in Your Care Home
Staff at the launch of Hospice in Your Care Home

An awards ceremony is being organised by Wigan and Leigh Hospice (WLH) for employees at nursing facilities who are particularly skilled at giving palliative care.

The event at the Leigh Sports Village (LSV) next month has been organised through the Hindley-based charity’s Hospice in Your Care Home scheme, which aims to ensure residents are better looked after in their final days and unnecessary hospital admissions are reduced.

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A total of 13 prizes will be handed out to staff from the eight homes currently taking part in the scheme.

Debbie Dempsey, Hospice in Your Care Home manager, said: “Inappropriate hospital admissions may be initiated by nursing home staff because they lack dedicated support and basic training in palliative and end of life care.

“Over the last 10 months we have worked closely with these eight nursing homes to give staff the practical skills and knowledge they need to enhance the care given to their residents who are dying and to support their loved ones.

“Over that time we have seen a lot of excellent work being done, but nursing home staff don’t always get the recognition they deserve.

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“Our awards ceremony aims to celebrate the positive initiatives in nursing homes and highlight individuals who are making a real difference to the residents they care for.”

Awards will recognise the best managers, deputies, nurses, carers and non-clinical staff members as well as employees who have gone the extra mile or been nominated by their peers or patients and families for their high-quality care.

There will also be prizes for the most improved and most outstanding care homes and for staff members who have particularly championed patient dignity and advance care planning.

Around 120 nursing home staff are expected to attend the LSV event on October 14, which will be hosted by WLH chief executive Dr Alan Baron.

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Representatives from Wigan Council, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will hand out the awards.

Votes were cast in all eight care homes before the winners were decided by WLH’s steering group.

WLH has been working with Ashton View Care Home, Appleby Court Nursing Home in Pemberton, Bedford Care Home in Leigh, Belong Atherton, Dean Wood Manor in Orrell, Mahogany Nursing Home in Newtown, St George’s Nursing Home in Wigan and Richmond House Care Home in Leigh since November 2015.

Four registered nurses and a healthcare assistant from Hospice In Your Care Home have been working in the homes promoting training based upon the most up-to-date research and equipping staff with the practical skills and knowledge needed to provide sensitive, timely and compassionate end-of-life care.

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Employees have been taught how to communicate in difficult or distressing situations, such as talking to residents or their families about a patient’s future care needs, and trained to recognise when someone is nearing the end of their life and how to anticipate what medication and pain relief may be needed.

The awards ceremony is at the LSV on October 14.