Awards for care home staff are back

The Hospice in Your Care Home Awards organised by Wigan and Leigh Hospice (WLH) is back after the event had to take a break in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fifth edition of the awards ceremony will be the first one to take place virtually, with the gongs being handed out on June 25.

Debbie Jones, manager of Hospice in your Care Home, said: “Staff in care settings in our borough have been through an incredibly difficult time this past year.

“This awards ceremony aims to recognise and celebrate what has been achieved for patients and residents during the pandemic, and highlight examples of compassion and dedication to caring, particularly for those people in the last few days of life.

“It is extremely humbling to see the commitment of staff during one of the most challenging periods in health and social care, and the awards evening is our way of saying thank you to all those unsung heroes, who have continued to prioritise the people they care for, despite their own anxiety and loss.”

Since May 2020 the Hospice in Your Care Home team has been delivering online education and training for staff across the caring sector.

A year on the sessions are being accessed by 47 of the 52 residential and nursing homes in the borough as well as extra care, supported living and learning disability services.

A total of 13 titles will be awarded at the ceremony, with prizes for Nurse of the Year, Senior Health Care Assistant of the Year, Nursing Assistant of the Year , Health Care Assistant or Support Worker of the Year, the Dignity Champion of the Year, the Care Setting of the Year, Manager of the Year, Deputy or Clinical Lead of the Year, the Most Innovative Setting, a Special Recognition Award, the Non-clinical Staff Award, the Peer Award and a Family and Residents Award

Up until the pandemic the hospice’s team of registered nurses and a healthcare assistant were a regular presence in nursing homes.

The team adapted quickly when the care homes closed to visitors due to Covid-19 and created a new package of training tailored to dealing with the issues around the pandemic that staff were dealing with, including identifying the symptoms of the novel coronavirus, managing respiratory problems and promoting spiritual needs.

This training has been offered for free to all residential and nursing homes in Wigan borough.

Debbie said: “Redeployed staff have sometimes found themselves caring for dying patients for the first time, and have needed support with their learning needs, particularly in relation to recognising dying, communication skills, spirituality and symptom management.”

Staff from all the care settings the team works with have been able to nominate their colleagues for the Peer Award, while families and patients also voted for one of the accolades.

The winners will be selected by the Hospice In Your Care Home steering group.

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