 Welcome to the first Derbyshire Dignity Campaign Newsletter!
(Steve Phillips Co-ordinator)
I am fortunate to have been given time over the next few months to
further develop the Derbyshire Dignity Campaign rather than trying to do this
as an ‘add on’ to my work with the Adult Care Commissioning team
My colleagues in health and social care and I have been aware for some time that once a team has achieved their bronze award, there has been little or no contact from us here at base about the Campaign. This newsletter, which will be circulated quarterly, will try to put that right.
The Dignity Campaign has already prompted countless improvements across Derbyshire, often costing little or nothing. We hope a newsletter will help dignity champions to share ideas and information about what is happening locally and promote awareness of being part of a valuable Derbyshire drive to improve the experiences of people when having a health or social care service.
We are keen to
receive news or articles from you with your comments or views or to just say
what you are doing.
For starters we
have put some faces to the names of people on the website who are amongst our
active group of supporters.
|
We are open
to ideas for workshops or other events that we might hold or join in to raise
the profile of
the Derbyshire Dignity Campaign. Please one of us know.
In 2014 so far the following events have been held:
- Bronze award workshops on 17 July (at County Hall, Matlock) and 18 July (at the Hub, S. Normanton) for Adult Care Direct Care staff
- Bronze award workshops 24 March (in Buxton) and 28 April (at the Hub) for anyone interested in applying for the bronze award.
- Assessor
workshop on 26 September (at the Hub) for experienced assessors/ people
interested to review assessment guidance.
-
Working
Together to Improve Quality - organised by DCHS on 1 October (Post Mill Centre)
and 8 October (Masson Mills) nd 15 October (Pride Park)
Chris
Whittaker is a great supporter of the Derbyshire Dignity Campaign. She can be
relied on to turn up at monthly assessment sessions and has mentored many
colleagues in ways of practically promoting dignity. In her work at Queens
Court, a joint health and social care funded day service she demonstrates what
the Dignity Campaign means in practice. How did she get so ‘hooked?’
Derbyshire
Community Health Services (DCHS) have held a series of three autumn events
through October entitled ‘Working together to Improve Quality’. They were organised by Sam Pessoll and colleagues in the Care Home Advisory Service
which is part of DCHS. This relates very well to the to the Derbyshire Dignity
Campaign.
 The dignity website includes great dignity stories. We thought we would highlight one each time as they all have a nice upbeat feel to them. We will start with Issy Gratton whose story we have picked this time – a good one for anyone contemplating applying for the bronze award. Issy has now moved on from her job as the Unit Manager at Lincote day service and the service itself has relocated into the Oakland Community Care Centre (Swadlincote). The Centre has since achieved the silver dignity award.
|
At a workshop
two years ago members of the public and some bronze award holders answered the
question ‘What Should Silver Look Like? That day, two dignity champions
presented excellent work they were doing – one based in a social care day
service and the other in a hospital - to help prompt people’s thoughts. The
workshop resulted in a set of essential ingredients which make up the silver
award application format/ guidance on the dignity website.
Dame Joan Bakewell (the current Dignity in Care Ambassador) describes Dignity Action Day very well on the national website:
"Dignity Action Day highlights a more respectful way of behaving towards vulnerable people. The very old and the very young clearly need our respect, but it wouldn't do any harm to spread the dignity message across the population then we can all benefit."
Assessments are
done by a number of people who work in health or social care. A day each month
is put in the diary and people make time to call in if they can for as long as
they can on the day to assist with assessments.
Assessors do not
claim extraordinary expertise; they are simply passionate about promoting a
positive experience of dignity for people having a health or social care
service.
| 
