The Children’s Community Learning Disability and Behaviour Support Service in Cumbria have won a prestigious Nursing Times Award, celebrated at a spectacular evening of recognition held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in London on Wednesday 30 October.
Jean Hamilton, the Children’s Learning Disability Service Manager, said: “I am unbelievably proud of the team and what they have all achieved! The benefits of the service and the wonderfully positive attitude of the whole team to embracing and delivering change have enabled us to continue to develop and overcome barriers.”
The Children’s Community Learning Disability and Behaviour Support Service in Cumbria works alongside families of children with learning disabilities and autism. They aim to increase parents’ confidence and competence in managing the challenges they may face due to their child’s disability. The team support families through parenting groups, workshops, and taught sessions, as well as individual positive behaviour support and guidance to build emotional resilience.
Many parents tell professionals that they feel alone and isolated when they have a child with complex behaviours, learning disabilities and autism diagnosis. The team believe strongly in providing the right support, at the right time in order to support parents to understand their child’s behaviour and increase their confidence so that they are able to respond effectively to their children’s needs.
Pamela Travers, Group Director for the North Cumbria Locality Care Group at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are very proud of the achievements of this small team. They have such a strong belief in making sure the services they deliver are patient, parent and carer-focussed. It’s absolutely fabulous that they’ve got the recognition they deserve for their dedicated work.”
The team also arrange opportunities for parents to develop supportive links with other local families, helping them recognise that they are not alone.
One member of the shortlisting panel praised the team on the night, saying: “If this service had been available when I was younger, my childhood would have been so much easier!”
Editor of Nursing Times, Steve Ford, said: “The Nursing Times Awards showcase the innovation and best practice of nurses and midwives up and down the country, which I hope will be shared widely to improve care. The awards represent a great opportunity to celebrate all that is good about the nursing profession and I would like to personally congratulate all our winners and finalists.
“Hearing about the ground-breaking work being done by nurses around the UK to improve patient care never ceases to amaze me. This is especially true at the moment given the workforce pressures that nursing staff are under in many places.”
The service was launched in 2017 under Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The team in the North of Cumbria has now been transferred to Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, a provider of mental health and learning disability services in the north of England, as of 1 October 2019. All are keen to ensure that families continue to receive the same high-quality service across the county by taking this opportunity to learn from developing teams and trusts, continuing to collaborate and work closely together.
