THERE are only a few days to go until the first ever South Wales Argus Health and Care Awards take place.

Television presenter, GP and author Dr Hilary Jones will host the presentation event at the racecourse on October 19.

One of the 15 award categories that will be awarded on the night is the GP Practice of the Year.

Sponsored by Tovey Bros, who provide funeral services to Newport, Cardiff and the surrounding area, they say that they are thankful for the hard work of those who work in the health and care sector.

James Tovey said: “Daily we hear stories of the wonderful kindness and care given to families by doctors, nurses and support staff at GP practices, as well as other healthcare professionals.

“There are so many examples which demonstrate care that is above and beyond the call of duty. We are pleased to have this opportunity to recognise and applaud this excellent service.?”

There are three finalists for the GP Practice of the Year Award.

Aber Medical Centre in Caerphilly was nominated because it goes above and beyond for the patients. The practice has three different sites, but all staff are helpful and friendly. The GPs make patients feel welcome and patients praise their work and say they go above and beyond every single day.

Clark Avenue Surgery in Cwmbran has a team of doctors and nurses that are supported by an enthusiastic, friendly and welcoming reception team. They endeavour to deal with as much in-house rather than refer to local hospitals and treat patients with warmth, compassion and offer excellent personal care.

Bellevue Group Practice in Newport was nominated for the services they provide to patients. They offer an advice service to assist patients who are not able to attend the surgery, and also assists homeless people in Newport ensuring they have access to treatment.

Another award that will be presented on the night will be the Best Innovation Award.

The finalists for this award include the 12 Care Homes of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. These homes have been part of a project with the health board and Welsh Ambulance Service and have all adopted a falls protocol assessment tool.

Early data shows that the staff at the care homes have been using the assessment tool for 81 per cent of the falls recorded.

The Dementia Roadmap Wales has also been chosen as a finalist.

It is a web-based platform providing information about the dementia journey alongside local information. The platform supports the creation of local Dementia Roadmaps with relevant resources and groups, organised across the main topics reflecting the dementia journey to support living well with dementia in Wales.

Finally, the Falls Response Team reduced unnecessary admissions to hospital through collaborative, coordinated service delivery that meets the needs of patients that have fallen.

Professionals from different organisations through collaboration have developed a multi-disciplinary team to meet the needs of patients who have fallen. The team provides a timely response, a full medical and social assessment, and referral to the most appropriate service.

To find out more visit southwalesargus.co.uk/healthandcareawards/news.