Bradford District Care Trust is celebrating being short-listed in the Compassionate Care category of the 2014 Health Service Journal Awards.  The national and coveted award is given to healthcare teams who, in a busy healthcare system, genuinely put patients at the heart of care.

The award celebrates excellence in putting people first, engaging patients and families in their care, listening to views, and ensuring people are treated with dignity and respect.

Nurses at the Trust were invited to the awards ceremony in London for their commitment to the national ‘Care Makers’ programme, a programme inspired by the London Olympics 2012, where Games Makers passionately reflected National pride. Trust based Care Makers passionately reflect the values set out in NHS England’s Compassion in Nursing Strategy.

“It’s such a privilege to be recognised for our work. We now have nearly 50 Care Maker Trust ambassadors working across our services who, no matter what level or role they work at, clinical or non-clinical, staff promote the ‘6Cs’ of Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment.” Said, Kerry Bennett, Registered Nurse and Quality Health & Innovation Lead at the Care Trust.

The team received particular praise for its development of the ”Can you C me” feedback tool, which will allow colleagues and patients to share honest and open feedback that can be reflected on and used in staff appraisals or shared more widely with a team.

“We often hear in national reports that NHS staff can feel undervalued.  ‘Can You C Me, is a simple way for people to tell us openly what they think of the care they have received, or observed a person receiving. This is so that we can continue to learn from what works well. It also gives an opportunity for staff to receive praise for a job well done.” Added Kerry.

The Trust’s Care Makers also received praise from the Chief Nursing Officer, Jane Cummings, when she visited the Trust August 2013.

ENDS