HOW TO NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR A SPECIALIST CARE AWARD

2017 Categories: Specialist Care

Many of the skills and attributes needed in care are the same regardless of for whom you are caring, but some groups of service users benefit hugely from specialist skill sets and it is these skills sets that we want to celebrate here. (Picture shows end of life care award winner 2016)

You can read more information about what the judges will be looking for below, but you can download this information as a document here, and you can download the Nomination Form here. 

NB: If you want your nominee to be the winner of the final accolade of the night please make sure you include information on how s/he has made a significant contribution to both Health & Social Care during the 2016/2017 year on each category nomination form. The most obvious and brilliant Overall Contribution to Health & Social Care from all 23 category Finalists as decided by the nomination panel of judges will be the final accolade of the Award Ceremony night

There are 6 categories:

• Dementia Care
• Palliative Care / End of Life
• Mental health
• Learning Disability 
• Older people
• Physical and sensory disabilities

1.    Dementia Care Award

This award will be given to an individual who has shown reflective specific skills needed to deliver services sensitive to the needs of people with dementia. The following are some of the skills you may choose to use/name to demonstrate why you are nominating this person:

• Demonstrates an understanding of the term dementia.
• Can demonstrate their commitment in delivering quality dementia care.
• Can demonstrate personal investment in dementia care.
• Can demonstrate an innovative approach in the delivery of dementia care.
• Has a passion for improving care/lives of people with dementia.
• Is aware of the importance of communication skills (listening skills, attention to body language).
• Understands and demonstrates treating each person as an individual by giving a personalised service.
• Explains how you help a person continue to make the best use of their skills and abilities (encouragement, reassuring routine, common sense).
• Demonstrates the importance of communication skills (listening skills, attention to body language, speaking clearly etc.).
• Is able to show a good understanding of nutritional issues of people with dementia.
• Examples of how good night time care for people with dementia is achieved (achieving periods of peaceful sleep and occupation while awake).
• Is able to demonstrate how they have made a difference in dementia care.
• Can give examples of risk taking in good care provision.
• Adaptability, alertness and responsiveness to the people they care for will be looked for by the judges. 

2.    Palliative care /  End of Life Care Award

This award recognises an organisation or carer who has made a substantial difference to the end of life care of individuals. This may be in the care of terminally ill individuals, through innovations in symptom relief, or through service developments or changes to the culture within organisations that have resulted in improved care. The following are some of the skills you may choose to use/name to demonstrate why you are nominating this person:

• An understanding of:
• Perspectives on death and dying;
• Principles and policies of end of life care;
• Communication in end of life care; and
• Support services for end of life care
• How choices made by the person being cared for and their family is central to the service and care that is delivered.
• How to reflect fully on what is important to the person at the end of their life
• Reliably identifying those who are approaching the end of life, inclusive of all disease groups
• Timely referral to specialist services
• Supporting patient preference and choice
• Supportive and sensitive care for patients and their families and carers
• Ensuring appropriate training in end of life care

3.    Mental Health

This award recognises the specific skills required of an effective worker with people experiencing mental health challenges. This work is with people with enduring mental health difficulties who require specialist support to enable them to live meaningful lives within their local communities. This may involve support in terms of maintaining medication compliance, or seeking and securing employment experience, or engaging with people in the place or area people live.

• The sort of skills that may be evident are:  Demonstrates an understanding of the needs of people with mental health challenges
• Can demonstrate their commitment in delivering quality care in mental health.
• Can demonstrate personal investment in better understanding and support of mental health.
• Demonstrates an innovative, but always personalised approach in the delivery of support.
• Has a passion for improving care/lives of people with mental health.
• Is aware of the importance of communication skills relevant to the individual being supported (listening skills, attention to body language).
• Explains how you help a person continue to make the most of their skills and abilities (encouragement, reassuring routine, common sense).
• Is able to show a good understanding of societal issues of people with mental health challenges.
• Is able to demonstrate how they have made a difference in mental health care.
• Can give examples of appropriate risk taking in good care provision.
• Adaptability, alertness and responsiveness to the people they care for will be looked for by the judges.

4.    Learning Disability

This award is to recognise the value of good quality support in working with people with learning disabilities (LDs). People who work in this category may support people whose behaviour may challenge and so may need an awareness of positive behaviour support techniques. People working in this category may demonstrate an understanding of the spectrum of LDs and how these may be manifest and best supported in each individual.

People working in this specialty may have:

• Understanding of LDs and the impact these have on an individual’s life and how it is lived
• Awareness of the principles and policies of positive behaviour support and apply them consistently;
• Strong communication skills that are evidenced in how they work with people being supported and their families, and colleagues
• A passion for improving the lives of people with LDs through seeking out ways for them to be ever more meaningfully involved in their local communities
• An interest in developing the choices of the people being cared for and ensuring that this is at the heart of their work
• The ability to work with positive risk taking to ensure people being supported have more life choices
• A respect for people with LDs to experience meaningful personal relationships, and a drive to enable this
• A commitment to supporting people with LDs to have more and more effective support in communicating
• A commitment to promoting greater levels of independence for service users and helping them to create work opportunities where appropriate

5.    Older People

This category recognises that older people have different needs; that may or may not include dementia, but that they too need these needs met in a personalised and supportive way.

People working in this category may have:

• A commitment to ensuring that older people are  supported to maintain meaningful and relevant contact with their communities
• An understanding that older people may have needs around physical challenges, but that this need not prevent the living of an interesting and stimulating life
• A passion for enabling and supporting older people to remain as independent as possible as well as engaged and fulfilled in their lives
• Skills in communicating with older peoplein a way that recognises individuals’ specific needs and draws from each one and engagement with life and those around them
• A respect for older people that supports them to continue to engage with others and have meaningful personal relationships
• An interest in developing the choices of the people being cared for and ensuring that this is at the heart of their work

6.    Physical and sensory disabilities.

This award recognises that people need to be differentiated on a personal basis and that disability may not equal a lack of capability - that each individual may be supported to make a genuine contribution to their community with the appropriate support. Disability may be acquired or from birth, may not always be apparent and the same disability may affect individuals in different ways.

 People working in this category may:

• Understand the diverse conditions resulting in physical disability and often undertake  additional research to understand causes, better to support the people they work with
• Have a passion to ensure people supported live their lives to the fullest and explores with them what this may mean
• Work with people in a way that shows they understand the degrees of impairment and work constructively and effectively with individuals to ensure their lives are fulfilled irrespective of the challenges
• Work to ensure their own communication skills best support quality work, possibly learning a new ‘language’ to enable this
• Demonstrate consistently their commitment to personalised care and support in their work
• Engage meaningfully with people supported and their families to ensure social inclusion
• Work to promote positive health with people supported so that the impact of other health issues is actively addressed and minimised
• Work to promote individuals’ wellbeing through engaging consistently and meaningfully with other health networks to ensure an integrated network is achieved