NURSING home staff will be recognised at a ceremony organised by Wigan and Leigh Hospice on Friday, October 4.

The charity’s Hospice In Your Care Home team has arranged the ceremony for the fourth year running to celebrate the progress made by nursing homes to improve palliative and end-of-life care for their residents.

Since November 2015, the team has been running a rolling programme of training and offering ongoing support to borough nursing homes.

They currently work with 12 of the borough’s 21 homes.

At Leigh Sports Village on October 4 a total of 16 titles will be awarded including Manager of the Year, Most Improved Home and Home of the Year.

Hospice In Your Care Home manager Debbie Dempsey said: “The awards recognise the fantastic care delivered to residents and families at the nursing homes over the last 12 months.

"The team sees some truly excellent care delivered by committed staff and the awards are an opportunity to recognise and celebrate this.

“Since we started up almost four years ago we have seen staff confidence and knowledge improve, more residents discussing their future care needs and better care not only for residents at the end of life, but for all residents.”

READ > Young carers benefitting from two-year project after Health Lottery grant awarded

Four registered nurses and a healthcare assistant from Hospice In Your Care Home are a regular presence in the nursing homes.

The team provides training based upon the most up-to-date research available and aims to equip nursing home staff with the practical skills and knowledge needed to provide sensitive, timely and compassionate end of life care.

Education programmes have been delivered on how to communicate in difficult or distressing situations, such as talking to residents about their future care needs.

Staff have also been trained in how to recognise when someone is nearing the end of their life and how to anticipate what medication and pain relief may be needed.

The team is currently in the process of expanding in order to offer training at all 22 of the Borough’s nursing homes within the next two years.

The 12 homes currently part of the service are Ashton View Care Home in Ashton, Appleby Court Nursing Home in Pemberton, Belong Atherton, Dean Wood Manor in Orrell, Rosebridge Court in Hindley; Jah-Jireh in Beech Hill; St George’s Nursing Home in Wigan; Richmond House Care Home in Leigh, Shawcross Care Home in Ashton, Westleigh Lodge Care Home, High Peak Lodge in Leigh and Westwood Lodge in Wigan.

Voting boxes were placed in all 12 nursing homes on August 1 to give staff the opportunity to nominate their colleagues over a four-week period.

Families and patients were able to vote for the Staff Member of the Year.

Around 120 care home staff will buy tickets priced at £10 each to attend the awards ceremony which will be hosted by the hospice's chief executive Alan Baron.

The awards being presented are:

• Non-clinical staff member of the Year

• Advance Care Planning (ACP) Champion

• Dignity Champion

• Carer of the Year

• Senior Carer/Lead of the Year

• Nursing Assistant/CHAPS (Care Home Assistant Practitioner) of the Year

• Nurse of the Year

• Peer Nomination

• Staff Member of the year (nominated by families/patients)

• Committee-nominated award

• Deputy/Support Manager of the Year

• Manager of the Year

• 3R Award

• Special Recognition Award

• Most Improved Home of the Year

• Outstanding Home of the Year

The winners will be selected by the Hospice In Your Care Home Steering Group which includes team members from Hospice In Your Care Home and Wigan Council’s quality performance officers team, with contribution from other visiting health and social care professionals.

Wigan and Leigh Hospice works with nursing homes in order to ensure as many people as possible benefit from its services' expertise and knowledge in end-of-life care.