Rowcroft Hospice is celebrating after winning the ‘choice and control award’ at the NHS South West Personalised Care Awards in December. Our ‘Hospice at Home’ team scooped the award for their expert service in delivering care at home across South Devon to people in their last two weeks of life.
Personalised care at its best
Rowcroft’s Hospice at Home Manager Karenne Weaver said: “The judges were impressed with our individualised care that was demonstrated in our application and they were moved to tears by the examples given, in particular being able to accept a discharge from hospital during COVID lockdowns to enable a daughter to have her last cuddles with her dad. As a hospice we all give personalised care so it’s great to have this recognised at such an important external awards ceremony.”
The ‘What Matters to You’ approach
The purpose of the South West Personalise Care Awards is to recognise and thank people who work in the health and care sector in the South West and to focus on the ‘What Matters to You’ approach where patients work together with healthcare professionals as equal partners.
Choice and control in care
Rowcroft’s Director of Patient Care Vicky Bartlett said: “Rowcroft’s personalised care ensures that patients remain in control of their care choices and decisions, so that their health and wellbeing needs are met in a way that makes sense to them. It starts with a conversation about what matters most to them, it builds on what people can do, and it recognises patients as a whole person with skills, strengths, and attributes. Huge congratulations to the team on this very well-deserved award.”
Caring for patients across South Devon
Rowcroft Hospice supports more than 2000 patients with life-limiting illnesses across South Devon each year, with the majority of people cared for in their own homes from Dartmouth to Dawlish and up onto Dartmoor. The hospice is currently facing considerable challenges due to a number of factors including staff shortages, an escalating demand for its care, and a fall in donations and higher running costs due to the rising cost of living.