Double recognition for Hospice Education Team

Springhill Hospice Education Team

The Springhill Hospice Education Team have been endorsed by Skills for Care with the title of 'Centre of Excellence'.

Based in the Margaret Geoghegan Education Centre, the role of Springhill Hospice's Education team is to train professional carers throughout Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, who provide care in settings such as nursing and residential care homes.

Led by Specialist Palliative Care Nurse and Education Lead, Jane Ashworth, the team's training programme involves teaching care staff on every level, the key skills needed to deliver high quality, person-centred palliative care with two important ingredients, compassion and dignity.

Core training is centred around The Springhill Palliative Care Education Passport (SPCEP).

The award-winning passport has been developed by the team to ensure holistic knowledge and key skills are taught to all grades of staff, with supplementary standalone sessions available to enable continued professional development.

Jane Ashworth said: "We are all very proud of this achievement, the Skills for Care endorsement is not only recognition for work of our team, but also for those that attend our training. Stakeholders will then have a recognised high standard of education, giving employers confidence in the training an individual has received."

The team have also been praised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

In a report published in October, 'The state of hospice services in England 2014 to 2017', the education team's 'passport' was cited as an example of the Hospice's 'integrated approach to training'.

The report spoke of Springhill Hospice's development of 'the Palliative Care Education Passport, in collaboration with Age UK Rochdale and Rochdale Borough Council to provide training to care providers specifically on end of life care'.

Jane Ashworth said: "The Education Team are elated.

“We are inspired by the SfC Centre of Excellence award and having been highlighted in the CQC's report. Most importantly this feedback means that the hard work, care and dedication of our team and the Hospice as a whole is recognised. It shows the importance of educating others and teaching them to care with the same dignity and respect that is at the very heart of the services at Springhill Hospice."