Rushcliffe dementia project named regional champion in NHS Parliamentary Awards 2023

Rushcliffe Primary Care Network’s Rushcliffe Dementia Communication and Support Project has been named as the Regional Champion in the ‘The Excellence in Healthcare Award’ category for the prestigious NHS Parliamentary Awards to mark the NHS’s 75th birthday.

The team was nominated by Rushcliffe MP Ruth Edwards.

The judges, drawn from across the NHS, selected 10 regional winners. There were a record number of 750 nominations made across the country.

The aim of the Rushcliffe Dementia Communication and Support Project is to support local people living with dementia (and their carers) to live healthier and more independent lives for longer, through easier access to timely, high quality, individualised support.

Project Lead, Gwynneth Owen, says: “We’re so pleased to be named Regional Champion for the Midlands in ‘The Excellence in Healthcare Award’. It’s fantastic that our work in Rushcliffe to support people will dementia has been recognised and thank you to our MP Ruth Edwards for nominating the project.

“We’re nearly one year into the project and have made some great progress, learning from the experiences of those living with dementia, and working together with our local health and care organisations, Rushcliffe Borough Council, and voluntary and community groups. The project has given us the opportunity to further develop a Dementia Directory of local, personalised support for people with dementia, which is part of a series of health directories designed by my social prescribing colleagues in Rushcliffe.

“We have also grown an enthusiastic network of organisations and individuals within the Rushcliffe community who provide support for people living with dementia, and their carers. By building relationships and working together to address issues, we can really try and design some great solutions, and develop personalised comprehensive support to enable people to live well with dementia.”

Local Rushcliffe GP and Clinical Lead, South Notts Place-Based Partnership, Dr Jill Langridge, said: “I’m very proud that our project has been named regional champion in the Midlands for the Excellence in Healthcare category of the NHS Parliamentary Awards.

“Our vision is to transform Rushcliffe Primary Care Network into a thriving, sustainable dementia-friendly community. Gwynneth has done an incredible job, bringing together organisations and individuals, with a shared vision of improving the lives of people living with dementia and their carers. Her passion, enthusiasm and commitment to the project shines through and her work is a great example of some of the fantastic work that our social prescribing colleagues do.”

Rushcliffe MP, Ruth Edwards said: “I was very pleased to be able to nominate Rushcliffe Primary Care Network’s Dementia Communication and Support Project for the Excellence in Healthcare’s NHS parliamentary award. 

“Dementia is an incredibly personal issue to me. My Grandfather suffered from the disease, as does one of my aunts. It is a disease that affects patients uniquely. That is why I am so pleased to have a team like this in Rushcliffe, helping dementia patients lead happier and more independent lives with individualised care. Well done to the team. Keep up the amazing work!” 

The NHS Parliamentary Awards were established to engage MPs in identifying and highlighting innovative and high-quality care across every constituency in England, and thanking staff for their dedication, hard work and commitment by recognising and honouring their achievements. Now, the Awards have seen over half of English Members of Parliament nominating an individual or organisation for an award this year.

The Rushcliffe Dementia Communication and Support Project will now go head to head with other winners from across the country to be judged by a national panel made up of senior leaders representing staff and patients, for the chance to win the prestigious national award, which will be presented at a special ceremony in London on 5 July 2023, the 75^th anniversary of the NHS.