A doctor who is undergoing palliative cancer care is urging NHS staff to nominate compassionate colleagues who go the extra mile for an award.
The Kate Granger Compassionate Care Awards were launched three years ago to recognise individuals or teams who offer outstanding care to their patients.
Granger is a geriatrician from Wakefield in Yorkshire who started the #hellomynameis campaign for staff to introduce themselves to patients after she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive sarcoma.
She has also campaigned to break the taboos around death and written two books after her diagnosis in 2011 and became the Member of the British Empire (MBE) last year.
Launching this year’s awards Granger said: “The skills needed by the caring professions are varied and wide ranging but must always, in my opinion, be firmly based on compassion.”
There were more than 100 entries last year and Granger said she would be delighted to top that this year.
“The wonderful aspect to these awards is that absolutely anyone could be shortlisted or win, no matter what level of experience or accomplishments.”
NHS England has taken over the awards from NHS Employers this year.
Entries must show nominees have made positive and sustainable differences to patient care which can be replicated elsewhere, shown high quality leadership or management and developed ambitious and innovative ways of delivering care.
They must include citations from colleagues or patients and from board level.
Granger added: “Looking after another vulnerable human being is such an important job. Responding to someone else’s suffering in a way that helps is so vital to building therapeutic relationships in healthcare.”
Entries close on Thursday July 7 and winners will be announced at the NHS Expo in Manchester in September.
Last year’s winners were Lydia Jackson, a care assistant from Cumbria Partnership NHS Trust, Harvey’s Gang from Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Care Home Chat and Talk volunteer service and Think About Me scheme at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in South Wales.
Granger said it was by no means certain that she would be at this year’s awards ceremony as she is undergoing further palliative chemotherapy for a recent growth on her cancer.
However she said celebrating and rewarding staff who provide excellent care has “an extremely powerful effect” and was proud the awards were part of her legacy.
To enter click here.
