Celebrating our Healthcare Assistants: The Palliative Care Award
Six of our brilliant Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) recently completed the Palliative Care Award.
We launched the award last year to equip our HCAs with the expertise and confidence they need to deliver expert end of life care in the community and on our wards.
After attending six classroom-based modules, participants must be signed off as having demonstrated the knowledge and practical skills they need as an HCA at St Catherine’s. The programme finishes with participants proposing a quality improvement idea to our Care Services Director that will benefit the safety, effectiveness, and experience of the people we care for.
A massive congratulations to the following individuals who have now completed all aspects of the award:
- Ann-Marie Harvey
- Katie Harbour Roffey
- Clair Lewis
- Jacqui Robinson
- Kirsten Challis
- Laura McGrellis
- Tina Meadows
To recognise their fantastic achievements, we held a mini awards ceremony for our care colleagues. The HCAs received a certificate and a specially designed pin badge, which we hope they we will wear with enormous pride.
Giles, Chief Executive, was there to present the awards. Giles said:
“We want to be an organisation with a learning culture that encourages our people to grow and develop. This award is a great example of this. As those at our patients’ bedsides, delivering the care, the things our HCAs are trying to improve and innovate are so important. The work they do day in day out really matters and I am so honoured to be presenting these awards.”
Ann-Marie’s quality initiative was a welcome sheet for those staying on our wards to help them settle in and feel familiar with their new surroundings. It covers key information like the Wifi password, meal times, and an overview of the support available to them and those involved in this care. Ann-Marie said:
“I am so proud to have finished the programme. I found the sessions really interesting and they were pitched perfectly for both experienced HCAs and for those that have just started their career in palliative care. The award has empowered me to act upon any other quality improvements ideas I have in the future so we can continue to make a positive difference to patient care.”
We’re always looking for hard-working, compassionate individuals to be part of our team. If you would like to join an organisation where you can develop as a professional whilst making a real difference to local people, take a look at our current vacancies.
