In the NHS’ 70^th year, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust is gearing up to celebrate the innovative, compassionate and award-winning care that the Trust’s nurses provide for local people across the district at a celebration event on 4 May at the Mercure Bradford Bankfield Hotel.

Amongst those recognised on the day will be the Trust’s Falls Prevention team, who will be speaking about how they work with other teams and services to help prevent falls in our communities.

Rachel Morris, Falls Prevention Nurse at the Care Trust, said: “We will be showcasing some examples of previous projects with other organisations around falls, including our work with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service.

“We’ve been working with them for around two years, training all firefighters across Bradford and Airedale to identify people aged 65 and over who are at risk of falling as part of their routine safe and well checks, to increase fire safety.

“The training has given firefighters the knowledge to identify people who may be at risk of a fall and offer advice to people in their homes to prevent falls from happening, such as moving furniture and rugs out of the way. Those people who are identified as at risk are then referred to the Trust’s district nursing team to receive the help and support they need.”

Awards revealed on the day include the Kate Granger Compassion in Practice Award. In memory of  Kate Granger who was sadly diagnosed with terminal cancer, which led her to start the “Hello My Name Is…..” campaign, which encourages all staff across care settings to introduce themselves. This award will be announced by Kate’s widow Chris Pointon.

Chris will also be sharing their story and how he is now taking forward Kate’s legacy, both nationally and internationally. Also speaking on the day will be Jackie Smith, Chief Executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Rick Walker, Programme manager, from NHS England.

Two awards will also be presented for the Trust’s ‘Mentor of the Year’ and ‘Student of the Year’ which will be given to individuals who have shown excellence in student support.