Dignity in Care

We are proud to be a Dignity Champion, as part of the Dignity in Care campaign led by the National Dignity Council.

Core values

In line with the campaign’s core values, we are committed to placing an emphasis on improving the quality of care and the experience of our residents using our services including, home support, care homes and other community services.

As a Dignity Champion we have signed up to the 10 Dignity Do’s:

1. Have a zero tolerance of all forms of abuse
2. Support people with the same respect you would want for yourself or a member of your family
3. Treat each person as an individual by offering a personalised service
4. Enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control
5. Listen and support people to express their needs and wants
6. Respect people's right to privacy
7. Ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution
8. Engage with family members and carers as care partners
9. Assist people to maintain confidence and positive self-esteem
10. Act to alleviate people's loneliness and isolation

Dignity Champions

A Dignity Champion is someone who believes passionately that being treated with dignity is a basic human right, not an optional extra.

The Dignity Do's are a personal commitment and the National Dignity Council encourages individuals to become Champions. 

What Dignity Champions do

Each Dignity Champion’s role varies depending on their knowledge and influence and the type of work they are involved in. The role should not be an addition; it is about how you behave as a human being. There are many small things that you can do that can have a big impact on people’s lives. Champions choose how active they want to be, but they must sign up to the Dignity Do's.

How to become a Dignity Champion

Anyone can be a champion: health and social care staff, councillors, volunteers, unpaid carers, receivers of care and members of the public.

Find out more and sign-up to become a Dignity Champion.

Dignity in Care Awards

As part of our role as a Dignity Champion, we are strongly committed to celebrating Dignity in Care, and championing local care workers and personal assistants who go the extra mile to provide outstanding care and support to local residents.

This year’s awards will be taking place on Tuesday 9 July 2024.

These awards aim to promote and recognise the very best in care and support. The awards:

• Recognise good quality care within the borough
• Raise awareness of Dignity in Care
• Inspire local care workers and personal assistants to deliver outstanding care and support
• Reward and recognise those staff and teams that make a difference and go the extra mile

Nominations

If you know a care worker or personal assistant that goes the extra mile, why not nominate them for an award? 

Who can be nominated

Neither the nominee(s), or the nominator (the person making the nomination) has to be a resident of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

However, care provided to an individual must have taken place in the borough within the past year from January 2023 to the present date.

Categories

An individual can only be nominated in one of the following categories:

• Carer of the Year for Learning Disabilities
• Carer of the Year for Home Support and Day Care
• Carer of the Year for Older People’s Care Homes
• Carer of the Year for Day and Community Services
• Ken Yew Personal Assistant of the Year Award

Information needed for nominations

When nominating, you will need to supply both your contact details and the contact details of your nominee.

You should also provide a supporting statement of no more than 500 words. This should clearly outline what the paid carer, carer worker or personal assistant has done to warrant a nomination, and why this should be considered as exceptional.

You may wish to type this into a document first and then paste it into the form, to avoid losing your work if the form times out.

Deadline

The deadline for submitting nominations has now passed. The shortlisted nominees will be announced in early July and invited to a celebration event.

Quotes from previous nominations

Read what previous nominators had to say:​

• Ms C is not fazed by hard work and will go the extra mile in difficult situations. She brings care and compassion along with a calm and efficient manner and is always able to bring a smile when needed
• I wouldn’t be half as good as I am if I didn’t have Ms A caring for me every morning
• Ms K is respectful and does not patronise or talk down. She listens to what my dad has to say rather than making assumptions. She has the right balance between encouraging dad to be independent, whilst offering more support when he needs it
• Ms J supports us very well and is kind and helpful making my life as normal as possible with my disability and Asperger’s Syndrome
• Ms R is calm, patient and understanding. She has a lovely way with our residents, making them feel special and having some fun, showing her great sense of humour

Contact

For further information about the Dignity in Care Awards, please email dignityincare@richmond.gov.uk.