'Palliative Education Passport’ training celebration event

Mayoress Cecile Biant and Mayor Surinder Biant presenting an award

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A celebration event was held on Friday 5 February 2016 at Springhill Hospice to mark the success of a training programme promoting core skills in palliative care.

The ‘Palliative Education Passport’ training has been offered to people providing end of life care in residential homes. It has been taken up by registered nursing staff and non-registered staff (such as support workers and domiciliary staff), to provide them with knowledge and support in the development of skills for caring for people at the end of their life.

The programme has been funded and provided through the partnership of Springhill Hospice, Age UK Rochdale, Rochdale Borough Council and Heywood Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

To date, since June 2015, 142 people have registered to undertake the training.

The event marked the completion of the project for some staff and awarded and recognised the efforts of all those involved and who completed the training. The event was attended by Mayor Surinder Biant, Councillor Billy Sheerin, Assistant Cabinet Member for Adult Care at Rochdale Borough Council, and Rochdale Football Club Manager Keith Hill.

Simon Wootton, Chief Officer of HMR CCG, who provides some funding to the palliative care services at Springhill Hospice said: “We are honoured to be a part of this event to celebrate the achievements of the 142 people who have been or are training in core palliative care skills. It’s another example of the valuable role Springhill Hospice plays in our community in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.”

Councillor Billy Sheerin, Assistant Cabinet Member for Adult Care at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Caring for someone at the end of their life is one of the most important jobs in our community and it’s incredibly important that the people who perform this role are given all the support and training they need. Ultimately a borough can be judged on how it looks after its most vulnerable residents, so it’s great to see positive initiatives like this in action.”

Julie Halliwell Chief Executive Officer of Springhill Hospice said: "It is fantastic that so many staff have completed the Passport programme. We are grateful to our partners for working alongside us on this important initiative, which can only serve to drive up standards in the wider community. Staff who have undertaken the programme should be proud of their achievements, and now have a portable qualification which will enhance their future practice."