The exceptional efforts of the social care workforce will be recognised through a new award launched by the Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care.
Professor Deborah Sturdy outlined her commitment to recognise the outstanding contribution made by social care workers and nurses in England and their enormous range of skills, expertise and enduring compassion.
The awards will mirror the Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May’s awards for the NHS, and aim to celebrate nurses and care workers in adult social care who go above and beyond their everyday roles to provide excellent care, leadership and inspiration.
Presented as gold and silver awards, they represent an important step towards bringing recognition in line with the NHS workforce and recognise the extraordinary commitment of the adult social care workforce.
Southport boasts 85 care homes in our town, the biggest social care concentration in the UK. There are 3,612 care home staff working across Sefton.
Stand Up For Southport owners Phil Gee and Andrew Brown said:
“There are hundreds of incredible care workers in Southport who do a fantastic job at the best of times.
“During the past few months of the Covid pandemic particularly they have provided exceptional levels of care for our most elderly and vulnerable residents during the most traumatic of circumstances.
“They really have gone over and above to make a difference to the lives of their residents and to their families.
“It is time to show them some recognition! If you know of someone locally who deserves to be honoured then please nominate them today.”
Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care Professor Deborah Study said:
“The pandemic has shone a light on the exemplary efforts of our dedicated social care workforce, and I am committed to ensuring we recognise the selfless hard work they do day in and day out.
“The social care workforce more than ever continues to demonstrate unwavering compassion, professionalism and dedication. Not only during the pandemic but every year.
“I am extremely proud to present these awards to colleagues in social care which reflect those for colleagues in the NHS.
“These individual awards recognise exceptional practice and care and rightly give recognition, acknowledgement and appreciation that those individuals deserve.”
The awards come at an important time, to celebrate the huge contribution of the nursing and wider care workforce in the past year as well as building on the system-wide collaboration across health and social care we’ve seen during the pandemic.
This new award is the first of its kind for adult social care and is open to the workforce from all settings and parts of the sector.
The awards will be on an application basis and awarded throughout the year.
Nominations will be considered by a panel of NHS and adult social care chief nursing officers and adult social care sector representatives. The Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care aims to present the first award later this year.
The gold award will recognise outstanding achievements and performance demonstrated by a nurse or social care worker in their sphere of practice. This may be clinical practice, education, research or leadership. The award recognises the exceptional contribution by an individual with a distinguished career in nursing or social care.
The silver award recognises performance that goes above and beyond the expectations of the everyday role that the nurse or social care worker is expected to perform. Again, this could be demonstrated in education, research, patient and carer experience, leadership, tackling diversity and health inequalities, and could be awarded to either an individual or a team.
The awards will not be limited to registered nurses and will be extended to include all carers across all care settings, not only care homes.
Applications are available as a form which should be supported by 2 signatories:
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