Wigan care home staff set for praise at awards ceremony

The Hospice In Your Care Home team at Wigan and Leigh Hospice (WLH) is putting on the third gala celebration of the best and most dedicated nursing care in the area.

The Hindley-based charity is recognising the progress made by homes in the borough in improving end-of-life care for their residents.

And at the Leigh Sports Village this week those who have truly excelled will be given awards in front of all their peers.

Debbie Dempsey, Hospice In Your Care Home manager, said: “We have seen some excellent care being delivered in nursing homes by dedicated staff but all too often this is not recognised.

“We began the Hospice In Your Care Home awards to both celebrate their achievements and to raise awareness of the genuine care that is being provided.

“Over the time we have been working with the homes we have seen staff become more confident, care for residents at the end of their lives has improved and more residents are planning for their future care.”

A total of 15 prizes will be dished out, including manager of the year, most improved home and the prestigious home of the year.

Employees were able to nominate their colleagues while the staff member of the year prize is being chosen by patients and their families.

The recipients of the awards were then finally selected by the scheme’s steering group made up of Hospice In Your Care Home team members and Wigan Council quality performance officers.

Around 120 nursing home staff are expected to be at the LSV, with WLH chief executive Alan Baron hosting the night.

Hospice in Your Care Home has been running a rolling programme of training and support for local nursing venues since November 2015, with 11 of the 21 homes in Wigan and Leigh currently signed up to the scheme.

Registered nurses and a healthcare assistant are a regular presence in the care homes, whose aim is to ensure that staff are aware of the most up-to-date research on palliative care and equipping them with the skills they need to look after people in their final days with sensitivity and compassion.

Education programmes teach home employees how to communicate in difficult or distressing situations, such as discussing residents’ future care needs.

Staff also learn how to anticipate when end-of-life care is needed so medication and pain relief is ready to hand when or if necessary.

The scheme has been a success with homes signed up seeing fewer residents unnecessarily admitted to hospital in the last days of their lives.

The Hospice In Your Care Home awards are being held at the Leigh Sports Village on Friday October 26.