Anna and Wendy had the great honour of presenting Chris with his Star Award on 18th September 2024 alongside some of the local carers who had nominated him.
Through feedback we received from the Essence Service male carer’s group we were able to facilitate a meeting with the gentlemen and Chris, who listened to some of the negative experiences they had of waiting with their wives in the Emergency Department at Sunderland Royal Hospital. The gentleman explained that they had experienced long waits in the department, with their wives often being distressed in the busy waiting areas. They shared examples of their wives needing to be changed and the lack of appropriate facilities and assistance with this.
Chris listened and acted upon what the gentlemen told him, and the following improvements have now been made:
- A dedicated, single occupancy room is now available, offering a quiet space for dementia patients to wait in the department. It has comfortable seating, is beautifully and calmly decorated, and has a cupboard containing games and activities to keep people occupied and distracted while they wait. The room is close to the main ED clinical areas and has a buzzer fitted to alert staff should assistance be required.
- Dedicated male and female toilet facilities, which are locked, and carers will be given a key to access them, while they are waiting in the designated room with their loved ones.
- Chris is going to facilitate Dementia training over the coming months to all ED staff, to raise awareness of the condition and how best to support Dementia patients and their carers whilst in the department.
- A trolley containing supplies of various incontinence products is to be situated at the ED triage desk for people to access when and if required.
- A selection of posters will be displayed in the department to tell people to highlight to staff if they would like to access the room or any of the other additions to the department.
When the gentleman from the Essence Service nominated Chris they said;
"Chris has enthusiastically fulfilled our requests, listened to us, and acted on our feedback. It is not a job for him it's a vocation! He gives straight answers to our questions, and we have found out more from him about our wives' medications than anyone else. He is not shy to share his knowledge.
Chris is sensitive to other people's point of view; he is approachable and impressive. He doesn't give empty promises - he is not a yes man! He is knowledgeable and honest - he goes the extra mile. We feel he has a vested interest as his parents are getting older. There is no BS with Chris - other professions have let us down - he hasn't done that!"
Chris said;
“I am absolutely honoured to receive the award. It's days like this that make it all worthwhile. Thank you so much for today I had no idea. I am pleased the visit went well and hope this is just the start of things to come. I felt I got as much out of visiting the essence group as the carers did from me. It was so useful to listen to their perception of services and to be able to change the care we deliver to help address concerns. I look forward to our continued cooperation to keep pushing services forward.“
Well done Chris, from everyone at Healthwatch Sunderland, and congratulations on your award.