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Inaugural compassionate care awards nominees shortlist announced

NHS England has received an impressive 80 nominations for the first ever Kate Granger Awards for Compassionate Care, to be presented at the Health and Care Innovation Expo on 4 March.

Kate Granger, a doctor terminally ill with cancer, will present the awards and share her intensely personal views on the levels of compassion demonstrated by staff within the NHS during a discussion afterwards.

In recognition of her inspiring work, NHS England and the NHS Employers organisation created the first Kate Granger Awards for Compassionate Care to recognise an individual, team or organisation that has made a positive difference to patient care. Twenty one individuals and 59 teams from across the health service were nominated and 13 have been shortlisted.

The seven shortlisted individuals are:

  • Dr Sophie Edwards, consultant geriatrician at North Middlesex University NHS Trust, for her work to improve the experience of patients with dementia
  • Jo Murray, community matron at Sussex Community NHS Trust, for her work on the provision of care for care home residents in an appropriate setting
  • Joan Pons Laplana, community nurse at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, for his work on workforce planning which reduces the different number of care workers and clinicians who visit each patient
  • Val Hewison, chief executive of Carers Leeds, for her development of carers’ support services
  • Annmaria Ellard, miscarriage specialist nurse and leader of the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, for her leadership of a nurse-led service supporting women and families with a history of miscarriage
  • Caroline Dearson, founder of the Mickey Payne Memorial Foundation, which works with South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust to develop Dementia Buddies, a service that supports carers of people with dementia when their relative is admitted to hospital for any period of time
  • Dr Elizabeth Martindale, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, for her work to empower women during assisted deliveries when giving birth.

The six shortlisted organisations are:

  • Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, for their new Medically Fit for Discharge (MFFD) wards
  • Spiral Health Community Interest Company, for their ‘patient centred journey’ for patients at Bispham Hospital near Blackpool
  • Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, for its training tool Barbara’s Story
  • Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for its development of the role of Bereavement Midwife at St Mary’s Hospital
  • the Jonathan Mann Centre at Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, for its work with pregnant women diagnosed with HIV
  • the Teenage and Young Adult Service at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust for its work with young people diagnosed with cancer

Following the Awards presentation, Dr Kate Granger, a Specialist Registrar in Geriatric Medicine based in Leeds, will also reveal what she has found while seeing the NHS “through the eyes of a patient” and talk about some of her moving experiences since undergoing treatment.

Known for her highly personal blogs as she battles her illness, Dr Granger and Jane Cummings, NHS England’s Chief Nursing Officer, will hold a question and answer session as Expo explores one of its themes on patient experience and compassion in care.

Dr Granger explained: “In my mind ‘the little things’ aren’t little at all, they are indeed huge and of central importance in any practice of healthcare.

“When I say ‘little things’ I mean someone sitting down next to you rather than standing over you; someone holding your hand when you’re upset or distressed; someone taking that extra moment to really listen and allow you to express your fears; someone recognising you are in pain and being gentle when they examine you.”

Compassion features as one of the 6Cs project championed by Jane Cummings – the others being Care, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment. The session featuring Dr Granger and Jane Cummings will also focus on what people in the NHS can and should be doing in their interactions with patients.

Jane Cummings said: “This question and answer session will be a unique experience for people to really understand and engage with the, perhaps nebulous, concept of compassion and what it means to patients.

“Kate is very bravely using her personal experiences to teach us and I would highly recommend this session to anyone who wants to develop their approach to their care of patients”.

Dr Granger’s insight will be just one of a number of fascinating presentations, debates and discussions being held over the two days of Expo to be staged at Manchester Central on 3 and 4 March. Other keynote speakers at Expo 2014 will include Ara Darzi, Victor Adebowale, Tim Kelsey, and chief executive Sir David Nicholson, as well as medical director Sir Bruce Keogh.