Pennine Acute Trust supports national Dignity Action Day

Pennine Acute Trust supports national Dignity Action Day

A national awareness day on 1 February 2014 will be supported by staff at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Trust which includes Rochdale Infirmary, North Manchester General, Fairfield General Hospitals, The Royal Oldham Hospital and community services will promote Dignity Action Day on 1 February.

The event is an annual opportunity for those who work in the health and social care sector to promote the importance of preserving a person’s dignity when they use health care services.

The Trust will promote dignity for those who use its services during the week of 2 to 6 February. Information stands will be displayed at each of its hospital sites highlighting how the Trust values and promotes dignity, care and respect. Volunteers will also visit wards to carry out hand massages on inpatients.

Naheed Nazir, Head of Equality and Human Rights at the Trust, who is co-ordinating the week’s events, said: “We are visiting all our sites and encouraging our staff to promote this important awareness day and week. Dignity, respect and compassion are demonstrated through our Trust’s value of being compassionate. The Trust promises to: ‘Treat you with empathy, professionalism and a positive, friendly attitude; to act with integrity and respect at all times and to listen to you, understand your perspective, value differences and be approachable, sensitive and considerate.”

Over 800 staff at the Trust are also signed up as Dignity Champions who have the authority to challenge behaviour among its staff when they see care compromised. The champions who undergo a specialist training course believe that being treated with dignity is a basic human right and not an optional extra.

The army of Dignity Champions, which come from every department in the Trust, are:

• Willing to stand up and challenge disrespectful behaviour rather than just tolerate it;
• Act as good role models by treating other people with respect;
• Speak up about dignity to improve the way that services are organised and delivered;
• Influence and inform colleagues, and
• Listen to and understand the views and experiences of staff and the public.