Springhill Hospice celebrate palliative care achievements

Date published: 14 October 2019

Springhill Hospice’s Education Team were joined by over 100 health care professionals from across the borough on Friday 4 October to celebrate their achievements in palliative care.

The Palliative Care Education Passport Programme, which was developed and delivered by the Education Team at Springhill, provides training and information for health care professionals who are working with people, and their families, in their last years of life.

Since the programme began in 2015, hundreds of nurses and health care providers have taken part in the invaluable training.

Taking place at Springhill Hospice, students who took part in the programme were celebrated at an awards ceremony, presented by the Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Billy Sheerin, and guest of honour, the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, Mark Adlestone OBE (Chairman of Beaverbrooks the Jewellers) who was taking part in a tour of Rochdale on the same day.

Mayor Sheerin said: "When appointed the High Sheriff, all the Mayors of Greater Manchester were asked by Mark if he could visit their town and be shown, what we would consider, the good and the bad of our borough.

"I was asked to give out certificates at the hospice on the same day that he was touring Rochdale, so I thought it would be nice as our first port of call to see the good of our town at the facility, where the High Sheriff helped me present certificates and awards.

"I have always attended the ceremony as Assistant to the Portfolio Holder for Adult Care, so it was nice to finally attend as the mayor and formally congratulate the professionals.

"After the presentation, we had a tour of the hospice and saw the high quality of care given there."

Jane Ashworth, Education Lead & Specialist Palliative Care Nurse, said: “This has been our largest cohort so far with 88 health and social care professionals completing the passport programme this year.

"The level of work they have completed has been outstanding and we are so proud of the changes that are happening in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale as a result of them attending the Springhill Palliative Care Education Passport.”