Excellence

For teams or individuals demonstrating exceptional performance by improving quality of service or consistently providing high quality services.

Winner: Greenwich Advanced Dementia Service

This team won the award for their work in providing palliative and end of life care for people with dementia in their own home, with a particular focus on supporting their carers. Palliative care aims to achieve the best quality of life for patients and their families.

The team’s multi-agency approach enables people with severe dementia – often with challenging behaviour and complex physical health problems - to remain at home if they and their carers prefer this. They ensure that families receive the right equipment, expertise around medication, food and social care.

They carried out the ‘Hope for Home’ study which demonstrated that good, home based palliative care of dementia can be achieved with very positive outcomes. One carer who wrote a letter of thanks to the team following her mother’s death said “The support and guidance I received from you all enabled me to succeed in caring for my mother at home. I shall be forever grateful for your kindness and assistance.” Bereavement can be helped by the process of caring at home until death.

Runner up: Gary Winters

Gary is employed by Rethink to work in the Bexley Early Intervention Team and his commitment has been crucial to the success of this innovative partnership between Oxleas and Rethink. He received several nominations for his work in the team and also for jointly setting up the Bexley and Greenwich Early Intervention Football Team. An Oxleas colleague said “He consistently goes over and beyond his job description and has far exceeded any expectation I had about his role.”

The football group has helped both male and female clients to improve their physical fitness, increase their self-confidence and self-esteem, and forge new friendships.

Commended: Dr Anthony Akenzua, Consultant Psychiatrist, The Heights

Anthony was nominated by a service user for “his dedication and excellence” which helped her to find the right medication and to rebuild her life. A staff member who nominated him said “Patients tell me they are glad he is their doctor, they feel listened to and appreciated as human beings, and his gentle nature makes them feel comfortable.”

He was also nominated by several colleagues for consistently providing an excellent service to service users and inspiring his colleagues with teaching sessions and running family sessions to help families to understand service users’ needs and the nature of their illness.

Commended: Dr Geraldine Strathdee, Trust Clinical Director

Geraldine was nominated by a colleague for her “exceptionally high standards” and for her inspiring leadership in the field of assertive outreach. Her clinical focus is based on improving services for clients and her generous support for colleagues is an inspiration to all who work with her.