CARES Award for Equity Winner: The Alderbourne Ward Team
The CARES Award for Equity is for recognising that people are different and to value everyone equally.
The Alderbourne Team look after many patients with significant injuries and it was their response to a man who had a major brain injury which saw them put forward for this award.
"Recently, they had a patient who was not going to make any recovery," wrote Victoria Cook in the nomination. "They felt that ongoing treatment was not fair to the patient and was potentially causing the patient to suffer.
"However the next of kin felt that the patient should be kept alive at all costs in the hope of a miracle. The case was finally taken to the High Court in London for a decision to withdraw nutrition and hydration.
They demonstrated real equity of care
"The patient died shortly after the ruling was given, before any withdrawal of treatment. This was a really difficult case for all members of the team, yet I was so impressed at how they have managed care of the patient, communication with the family, as well as preparing with the lawyers for the case at the High Court.
"They demonstrated real equity of care – both for the patient, the family and other members of the team over many weeks.
"Dr Ajoy Nair put the best interest of the patient at the centre, despite the family pushing for all treatment to continue.
We should all be very proud of what they did
"The patient’s daughter lived abroad so the team arranged calls with her so that she could see her father and speak to him.
"The family were treated with utmost respect throughout. When the High Court judge wished to visit the patient, one of the team stayed on the ward to facilitate that visit even though it was out of hours.
"We should all be very proud of what they did."