Palliative care charity acknowledged for great staff culture with award nomination

Katharine House Hospice has been nominated for Best UK Employer at the Nursing Times awards for its supportive culture and engagement with its workforce.

The annual national honours celebrate the best in nursing standards with a ceremony at the Hilton Hotel near London’s Marble Arch.

In October, hospice staff will present to a judging panel with winners receiving their awards at the event in November.

Lead nurse, Carina Lowe, said: “What a privilege to be shortlisted out of thousands of wonderful organisations, this is fantastic news for our charity and for all our staff.

“Working in palliative care brings its own challenges but the rewards are second to none.

“Katharine House Hospice staff go the extra mile every day and we recognise their hard work by creating a culture where they can flourish.”

The Stafford based hospice cares for thousands of people and their families in mid Staffordshire living with a palliative diagnosis.

The charity’s health care professionals provide care in the community, in people’s homes, in the therapies and wellbeing unit and on their hospice ward.

Ms Lowe said: “Our staff are given the time to provide exceptional care to patients and families and we encourage learning and opportunities for them to continually progress.

“Along with pay increases and other monetary benefits, staff engagement, two-way communication, honesty and open learning are at the core of what we do.

“At Katharine House Hospice we listen – to those we care for and our staff – to improve our services and our working environment.”

To enhance quality of care, the hospice has implemented a Quality Forum which involves sharing, listening, learning and action from board to ward and ward to board.

Katharine House Hospice’s director of care, David Fletcher, said: “Congratulations to everyone who has been part of creating a culture of listening and progression.

“I could not be prouder of our workforce and the difference they make to families dealing with one of the most stressful times in life.

“Our staff deal with complex and emotional situations and take pride in providing the very best in palliative care, while supporting each other to do so.

“Every initiative we have implemented has been co-produced with our staff who we recognise as our greatest asset.

"We are humbled by their commitment and empower them to make a difference to our community which they do daily.”