TWO care homes in Leigh were the big winners at Wigan and Leigh Hospice's second annual awards event.

Richmond House and Bedford care homes won four awards each at Leigh Sports Village on Friday night, with only 14 up for grabs.

Richmond House shared the Home of the Year award with Appleby Court in Pemberton.

The Mitchell Street care home’s Lorraine Scholey was named Manager of the Year and Dean Bent picked up the Deputy/Clinical Lead/Support Manager of the Year and Peer Nomination gongs.

The award winners for Bedford Care Home on Battersby Street were Eileen Evans (Advance Care Planning Champion), Marie Sanders (Senior Carer/Nursing Assistant of the Year), Margaret Buckley (Carer of the Year) and Lilford House (Committee-Nominated Award).

Belong Atherton won two awards, with Julia Cross scooping Staff Member of the Year, an award nominated by families and patients, and Gemma Willets hailed as Non-Clinical Staff Member of the Year.

Upneet Riar, who works at Rosebridge Court in Hindley, was named the Advance Care Planning (ACP) Registered Nurse Champion.

The Hospice In Your Care Home team at the Hindley hospice organised the awards ceremony for staff from the eight nursing homes in the borough they work with to help improve care for residents who are dying and to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions at the end of life.

The others are Ashton View Care Home in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Dean Wood Manor in Orrell and St George’s Care Home in Wigan.

John Almond, a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector, said: “It is not just important to give good quality end of life care for residents, it is vitally important to family members because we will be left with the memories for the rest of our lives.

“Well done to the hospice and well done to the nursing homes.”

Around 120 nursing home staff attended the event.

Leigh MP Jo Platt handed out one of the awards.

The winners were selected by the Hospice In Your Care Home Steering Group.

Hospice In Your Care Home team members have been a regular presence in the eight nursing homes since November 2015, working closely with staff to provide training and equip them with the practical skills and knowledge they need to provide sensitive, timely and compassionate end of life care.

Education programmes have been delivered on how to communicate in difficult or distressing situations, such as when talking to residents or their families about a patient's future care needs.

Staff have also been trained in how to recognise when someone is nearing the end of their life and how to anticipate what medication and pain relief may be needed.

The service is modelled on a one provided by St Christopher’s Hospice in London.

Wigan and Leigh Hospice is one of very few hospices offering a service working with nursing homes.