Dignity in Care Award 2009 - Regional Winner - Yorks &Humber

The 2009 Health and Social Care Award for Dignity in Care - Yorks & Humber region award went to:

The Sheffield Care Home Olympics Planning Team

It's a fact that everyone needs to engage in meaningful activity every day if they are to maintain good physical health, mental wellbeing, a sense of identity and their personal dignity.

The Sheffield Care Home Olympics, the first event of its kind in the UK, was set up in response to this. Its aim was to provide a fun activity for care home residents that would get them up and about more.

The event, which took place at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield, involved 120 competitors from 20 Care Home teams. The average age of the resident competitors was 85 and the oldest competitor was 99. Each resident competed with a carer in games including: bowls, skittles and mini-golf. The Lord Mayor of Sheffield awarded trophies and prizes to the most successful teams.

The way the event was set up, with residents and carers competing together, meant it fostered team work and developed more supportive relationships between carers and residents. By competing together, the Sheffield Care Home Olympics promoted links between care homes in Sheffield and improved the image of Care Home residents and staff generally.

The majority of the funding for the event was provided by the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health (BHFNC).

The event was a huge success, with evaluation forms showing a satisfaction rating of 95% and an enjoyment rating of 9 out of 10. The event received a high and positive profile in the local media with an event photograph appearing in the 'Age, Snapped' photography exhibition, which celebrated UK Older People's Day 2008. All the aims were achieved and are nicely summed up in the following quote from one of the care home residents who said: "It made me feel as if I am still in the world!"

The runner up for this award was:

Carolyn Martin, Stroke Unit, Dewsbury Hospital

This pioneering programme at Dewsbury Hospital in Yorkshire is lending previously unheard stroke patients a voice in the life-changing decisions about their care.

Following a stroke, many people have communication and cognitive problems. As a result, their opinions can be been misinterpreted or overlooked, or decisions made on their behalf without adequate consultation.

The reform programme managed by Carolyn Martin from the hospital's stroke unit was launched in response to the Mental Capacity Act 2007. The Act, however, does not describe how patients with communication difficulties can be supported.

The Dewsbury unit decided to introduce a range of supportive communication techniques involving specialist speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. The techniques are adapted to each individual's needs following detailed assessments. By providing this specialist intervention, it has given individuals the chance to fully participate in the decision making process. It has also helped to boost awareness among the wider health community of the need to engage patients.

One nurse in the stroke team said: "Patients and families now have the reassurance that they are being listened to and that their needs are being considered. I felt reassured as a nurse that patients were being treated with dignity and respect."

The stroke team is most proud of the fact that this new approach is now seen as an integral part of patient care, and its expertise is now being sought by the social services, community rehabilitation services and the trust discharge team.