An innovative programme that offers support for young people with life limiting illnesses and their families in Cambridgeshire has won two prestigious awards from the Patient Experience Network (PEN).

The Beads of Courage Programme, run by the Community Nursing team at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS) won the Personalisation of Care award and the overall Children’s and Young People (CYP) award at the Annual PEN National Awards last night.

The programme has been running within Cambridgeshire Community Services since 2015, currently supports 28 children and families with five siblings also receiving sibling beads as part of the programme. Each bead given to a child signifies a particular step in their journey, with beads available for everything from procedures and x –rays to overnight stays and birthdays.  

Sian Hooban, Service Manager for Community Children's Nursing Services at CCS said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Personalisation of Care Award and to receive the overall best CYP Award was totally unexpected. The team love interacting with the young people supported by the programme and the beads mean so much to them, it really helps them share their journey with friends and family.

“The beads really show what a child has been through meaning that they and their family can look back and remember what they have done. The more beads we give out to a child the bigger a talking point they become, one of our children has close to 30,000 beads.”

John Peberdy, Service Director - Children and Young People's Health Services at CCS added: “I want to congratulate our Community Nursing team on their fantastic wins. We have long known about the quality of care and support they provide through the Beads of Courage Programme but to receive recognition from PEN whilst up against some equally amazing programme is a brilliant achievement for the team and the trust as a whole.”

The team were also awarded second place in the Continuity of Care award category.

The Beads of Courage Programme was developed in the USA in 2003 and is now used around the world in over 240 hospitals. To find out more about the programme in Cambridgeshire visit our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSu2mJ3G6l3pQG66B8tDaWw

The PEN National Awards are the first patient experience awards in the UK, celebrating the delivery of outstanding patient experience by those involved in the health and social care industry.