Mayor attends ‘Digni-Tea’ awareness day at Wolstenholme Unit

Mayor Ray Dutton at the ‘Digni-Tea’ awareness day at the Wolstenholme Unit

The Mayor of Rochdale attended a ‘Digni-Tea’ awareness day at the Wolstenholme Unit at Rochdale Infirmary.

The day included speeches by Mayor Ray Dutton, apprentices and organiser Lynette Cook, a poem reading from a patient, afternoon tea, and fun and games to raise awareness of, promote and support dignity and what it means to those on the Wolstenholme Unit. There was even a ‘Digni-Tree’ for feedback for the unit on how dignity is delivered and promoted within the unit.

Joining the Mayor was Councillor Billy Sheerin, staff, patients and their families, apprentices Chloe Bamford, Elisha Cartwright, Medhia Hussain and Ashleigh Shaw, and members of the public.

Lynette said: “As a dignity champion myself, it was important for me to do this for our patients and our unit. I think it went very well: everybody appeared to be laughing and enjoying the fun.

“The patients loved the day: there was lots of fun and laughter in the team games. The families and public that came also said how much they had enjoyed it and what a wonderful place the unit is.

“The Mayor was very impressed with us here on Wolstenholme, with both the staff and the unit, saying the unit was more like a five-star hotel.

“He stated he wished his mother would have been able to have stayed in a place like this. He stayed all afternoon and said he had enjoyed his time with us meeting us and seeing our unit.

"Councillor Sheerin also stated how impressed he was with our unit and asked to be invited back.

“As a unit, it is important to us to always maintain dignity within our care. The event helped to raise and promote awareness on a wider scale and we could get together with patients and families and get feedback on their views of us as a unit.”