Trees planted for dignity in Dorset (From Bournemouth Echo)

Trees planted for dignity in Dorset

9:30am Saturday 2nd February 2013 in News

TREES were placed around Dorset to mark a day promoting the importance of dignity and respect in all UK health services.

The Dignity in Care campaign was launched in 2006 and now has more than 40,000 dignity champions, who can be individuals or organisations.

On Dignity Action Day, champions from Dorset HealthCare Trust arranged for Dignity Trees to be put at sites around the county, including Alderney Hospital in Poole.

They provide an opportunity for staff and members of the public to write comments on leaves and attach them to the tree.

The trust’s dignity lead Wilma Merrell said: “Being treated with dignity is a basic human right. Dignity is about respecting and understanding others as you’d wish to be respected and understood yourself.”

Dorset HealthCare provides community health, mental health, learning disabilities, addictions, and community brain injury services across the county, including Bournemouth and Poole.

Michael Parkinson, National Dignity Champion, said: “It might well be that the difference people make individually is a mere ripple on the surface of our care system, but each of those ripples added together create a wave.”