Royal Recognition for Carers
The Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s work to recognise the role of carers has received national recognition.
The Trust’s Carers Project, led by Rebecca Cowley, has been nominated for a Royal College of Nursing Award in the Commitment to Carers category following the work done to acknowledge and support the role of the carer and ensure they become part of a patient’s care.
The Trust was awarded The Carers Charter in 2017, a promise that the Royal is committed to working together with and supporting the carers of patients receiving treatment and patients who are themselves carers. She has since become the Royal’s Carer Liaison Officer, supported through the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charitable Funds, to continue implementing and embedding the Charter.
Rebecca said:-
“It’s such an honour to be recognised in this way and shows how far this hospital has come in recognising the role of carers and the vital part they play in the treatment of our patients. We now have Carer Champions to help raise awareness on our wards and outpatient suites to educate and help identify carers and fully involve and support carers through the treatment of their patient.
“My new role serves to expand on the work already done and will ensure that the groundwork we did to attain the Charter can be built upon. One of the most frustrating issues for carers is communication and they can feel very vulnerable and confused whilst the person they love is in hospital. Knowing that I am here to support them, whether that is explaining the patient’s pathway, attending meetings or just providing general advice on how to cope with their caring role can empower them to ask questions and become more involved in a patient’s treatment.”
Rebecca has worked in carer support for ten years as well as being a carer herself so has been able to draw from experience. The work she and her colleagues have done has been nominated for the RCNi award and she has already been down to London for an interview, a presentation and to speak with the panel to explain more about what happens at the Royal.
She said:-
“It was daunting but the panel showed a genuine interest in the work we’ve been doing and asked lots of questions. Most of it was based on the work that we’ve done to date but I was able to talk further about some of the plans we have in place, including introducing Carer Champions to our five GP practices so that we can identify carers earlier in the patient’s journey and offer them that support before they come to hospital.
“It’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the other projects that have been nominated to see if there are elements that we can share. It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness of what we’re doing, what others are doing and this sharing of best practice and implementing these wonderful ideas can only be of benefit to the patients and carers.”
Rebecca will be co-ordinating some displays and activities to mark Carers Week, starting on 11th June. The ceremony itself will take place at Westminster Park Plaza in London on 4th July.
