Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice CEO Sophie Andrews OBE, picked up the Hospice UK Michael Howard Award for Hospice Team of the Year on behalf of the Family Link Team at the Hospice UK Conference in Glasgow on the 26th November 2024. Sophie was also given the honour of meeting Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.
The Family Link team fought off competition from some impressive entrants but their victory was deserved as they are unique. Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice are the only hospice who allocates a dedicated Family Link worker to each family from the point of referral to where the family no longer needs our services or to the child’s death and beyond. The families develop a very close bond with their Family Link worker and those relationships are absolutely vital to the families they support. The essence of the team is doing the ‘thinking’ and the ‘doing’ for families so they can do the ‘being’ and the ‘feeling’. The team seek to free the families from some of the anxieties, pressures and stresses of their lives. The team is made up of ten holistic, innovative family advocates who work alongside families to co-ordinate the myriad of components that make up the life of a family with a child with a life-threatening or life-limiting condition.
They promote effective communication between all the differing medical professionals in these children’s lives and provide a consistent presence to help co-ordinate and navigate the complex processes and systems that can be overwhelming for families. Whether it’s liaising with social services, medical professionals, energy companies, housing, education or benefits entitlements, there isn’t much that this team of dedicated, passionate practitioners won’t do for those they support.
The Hospice UK Michael Howard Award for Hospice Team of the Year celebrates an outstanding team that has made a positive impact to its hospice, its service users or staff and who recognise the importance of collaborative partnerships and services to reach more people and deliver better outcomes at the end of life. The award is named in honour of Michael Howard, Rt. Hon. Lord Howard of Lympne, CH, KC, former Chair and currently a Vice President of Hospice UK’s Board of Trustees.
Hospice UK’s mission is to promote and protect hospice care for all who need it, for now and forever. As the national champion for hospices, they fight to make sure hospice care is there for everyone, from every background. They fight to make sure hospices are able to deliver the best, most personalised care and fight to make sure hospices can thrive – today and into the future. They represent the community of more than 200 hospices across the UK and do everything they can for children and adults living with long-term illness, or approaching the end of their lives.
Sophie Andrews OBE, Noah’s Ark Children’s Charity’s CEO said: ‘I’m delighted that our Family Link Team have been honoured by Hospice UK. The team are tireless in supporting children and families to achieve the best possible outcomes and their dedication and tenacity delivers a first-class service that is vital to our offering and highly valued by families.’
