Posted on Wednesday 31st January 2024
Cllr Paul Northcott, Mike Phillips, with Staffordshire University students Charlotte Newby and Lauren Grant
People from Staffordshire are being invited to celebrate national Dignity Action Day by nominating a carer, work colleague, friend or family member for a special award.
Now in their tenth year, the Staffordshire Dignity in Care Awards, in partnership with Staffordshire University, will once again recognise the best of the county’s care sector.
During the last ten years of the awards, over one thousand nominations have been made, with over 100 people being crowned as dignity champions.
Anyone working in adult care, paid or unpaid, along with care providers, can be nominated in one of the nine different award categories. New for this year is the Dignity in Care Mental Health Champion, which will recognise the impact Mental Health practitioners have in the county. A second new award, chosen by key sponsor Staffordshire University, will celebrate Commitment to Learning in the care sector.
The awards launch on Thursday 1 February to coincide with Dignity Action Day, a national celebration to make sure people who use care services are treated as individuals and with dignity. The day is encouraging people to embrace the power of dignity by wearing red, while a free web event will help make sure the voices of people who require care are heard.
Paul Northcott, Cabinet Support Member for Public Health and Integrated Care at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“The care sector is a really important part of society and our local economy and it’s great to be celebrating our tenth awards.
“Over the last ten years, we’ve seen over 1,000 people nominated for an award, over 100 crowned as dignity champions and many more highly commended.
“We want to shine a light on those individuals and companies once again, and I’d urge people to get their dignity champions nominated. We’ve deliberately made it easy to nominate online and there’s nine categories to choose from. Please get nominating and let’s show our appreciation for the great job they do.”
Key partner for this year’s awards is Staffordshire University. Executive Dean Mike Phillips said:
“We’re delighted to be sponsoring these awards and to celebrate the contribution made by this tireless and critical part of the workforce.
“Dignity in care and patient safety are at the heart of what we do at Staffordshire University to develop our nurses, social workers, midwives, paramedics and other health and social care providers of the future. Many of our professional health and care students start out as carers for family members and we know they provide a vital service and are often going above and beyond for the people they look after.”
Jan Burns MBE, Chair of the National Dignity Council who are supporting the awards said: “As CEO of the National Dignity Council I am absolutely delighted to once more be involved with these excellent awards.
“Celebrating a decade of honouring dignity in care, the 2024 Staffordshire Dignity awards gives everyone the chance to mark a profound milestone. These awards not only recognise and reward the embodiment of dignity in care but also the positive impact those providing health/care can make to the lives of people receiving Staffordshire services. I would urge people to nominate their chosen carer or care provider which will help to promote a positive image of health/care services and elevate the standards of compassionate dignified care.”
Nominating someone for an award is quick and easy and can be done online at Nomination 2024. People who need help completing a nomination can speak to the team at dignity@staffordshire.gov.uk or by calling 01785 355 795. The deadline for nominations is 28 April 2024.