Updates
Congratulations to all the nominations and winners at the recent NSW Palliative Care Gala Awards Dinner.
Award Category 1: Leadership in Palliative Care
Leadership in Palliative Care involves engaging the hearts and minds of those providing Palliative Care to progress and maintain excellence in care provision. Leaders exhibit many and varied skills, including mentorship, support, passion for their field of work, commitment to working in partnerships, respect for others, teamwork, persistence, pioneering developments and good humour.
Nominations for this category were judged on their ability to demonstrate or illustrate at least three or more of the following:
1. Demonstrated Leadership in Palliative Care using examples of activities and/or initiatives
2. Provision or support of Mentorship
3. Supporting staff to enable ongoing excellence in Palliative Care provision
4. Demonstrate how there has been enhanced communication between multidisciplinary team members eg enhancing communication; supporting training opportunities.
The winner of the Leadership Award for 2011 is Dr Frank Brennan
Award Category 2: Outstanding Contribution to Specialist Palliative Care
This category refers to staff/teams who have demonstrated a commitment to providing quality Palliative Care
Nominations for this category were judged on their ability to demonstrate ALL of the following:
1. Commitment to lifelong learning or commitment to professional development
2. Excellence in care provision
3. Linkages and partnerships within multidisciplinary teams or primary care providers, and with other agencies
4. Evidence of impact on the attitudes and practice of others.
The joint winners of the Outstanding Contribution to Specialist Palliative Care were Julie Garrard and Jane Williams
Award Category 3: Innovation in Palliative Care
This category refers to staff/teams who have initiated innovative projects, practices or services that have enhanced Palliative Care provision.
Nominations for this category were judged on their ability to demonstrate ALL of the following:
1. The individual/team has initiated an innovative project/practice/service that enhances care for persons with Palliative Care needs, their family or carers and/or the wider community
2. The individual/team can demonstrate the impact or outcomes of the innovation
3. The individual/team’s innovation is sustainable.
The winner of the Innovation Award for 2011 is the PEACH Project.
Award Category 4: Volunteers Supporting Palliative Care
This category refers to an exceptional contribution by a volunteer or volunteer service to improving the experience of a patient/s with Palliative Care needs or their family.
This award relates to an individual volunteer or a volunteer service that works within a Palliative Care Service.
Nominations could ONLY be made by a Specialist Palliative Care provider.
Nominations for this category were judged on their ability to demonstrate ALL of the following:
· The activity of the individual or service has improved the quality of life of others
· The individual or service makes an exceptional or outstanding contribution.
The winner of the Volunteers Award for 2011 is Christine Jones
Award Category 7: Significance in Palliative Care Research.
People living with a life limiting illness and their caregivers deserve the best quality evidence to guide their care; and there remain many unanswered questions about the best approach for many aspects of the care we provide in palliative care.
The nominee for this category demonstrated or illustrated ALL of the following:
· The nominee must be able to provide evidence of how the programme of research will lead to direct clinical impact to the palliative care population and/or their caregivers
· The research must have been presented at a conference; or be formally accepted for presentation within the next 12 months
· Consideration will be taken of the nominee publication and grant record in palliative care related research; and use of innovative strategies to address challenges in palliative care research
· The lead investigator must be a resident of NSW.
The winner of the Research Award for 2011 IS A/Prof Meera Agar
Media Award: The People’s Choice award for most accurate and positive reporting of Palliative Care in NSW over the past year.
This award is new this year and is designed to reward those committed journalists who are able and willing to report on the world that we take for granted.
Any form of journalism was included – print, radio, tv or online.
Nominees were judged on how the nominee demonstrated or illustrated ALL of the following:
1. The coverage must have been from 1 May 2010 to 1 May 2011.
2. The coverage must demonstrate a better than average understanding of palliative care
The PCNSW Media award is given in recognition of "Positive media coverage that demonstrates a better than average understanding of palliative care".
The winner is: Facing Death. A series of articles plus special multimedia feature on coming to terms with the process of dying.
Julie Robotham and Kimberley Porteous report, photos by Steven Siewert.