The Snowdrop Award

The Rutland Snowdrop Award 2026
Celebrating compassionate care

The Rutland Snowdrop Award celebrates exceptional health and care workers, and teams of care professionals, who go above and beyond to support people and their families at the end of life.

The Rutland Snowdrop Award was inspired by Dr Hilary Fox, previously Clinical Director for Rutland Health Primary Care and a GP Partner in Uppingham. Hilary was deeply touched by the thoughtful and compassionate care her mother received at Wisteria House Care Home during her end of life.

Following that experience, she wanted to help ensure that people working in care, who go beyond the high standards their role requires, are recognised and appreciated for the positive difference they make.The award continues to celebrate those acts of care, kindness and understanding that mean so much to people at the end of life and to the families and friends around them.

Application Form

Celebrating compassionate care.

Working in a caring profession can be demanding, and the quiet, thoughtful work done by many care workers is often taken for granted. The Snowdrop Award recognises the human side of care: the empathy, kindness, patience and understanding that can make such a difference to someone who is dying, and to the people who love them.

If you know a health or care worker, or a care team, who made a real difference to someone during their final days, weeks or months, you can nominate them for the Rutland Snowdrop Award 2026.

Who can be nominated?

You can nominate an individual health or care worker, or a team of care professionals, who helped improve someone's end of life experience.

This might include, for example:

a member of staff in a care home
a nurse
a doctor or other medical professional
a social worker
a home care worker
a team of care professionals

We are looking for people who have shown exceptional compassion and understanding, and who have gone beyond the usual requirements of their role to bring comfort, dignity and support to someone at the end of life.

What makes a strong nomination?

The Snowdrop Award is not about formal inspections or clinical standards. Those are assessed separately by the Care Quality Commission.

This award focuses on the personal difference someone made. A strong nomination will usually include examples of how the person or team:

showed kindness, empathy and compassion
listened carefully to the person and their family
helped someone feel comfortable, respected and understood
supported a family, friend or loved one during a difficult time
went beyond their day-to-day responsibilities
made the end of life experience more peaceful, personal or dignified
You do not need to write formally. What matters most is explaining, in your own words, why this person or team deserves to be recognised.

How to nominate

You can nominate someone by completing the online application form.

Before submitting personal details for the person or team you are nominating, please make sure you have their permission to share their name and contact details with Dying Matters in Rutland.

The form will ask for:

your name and contact details
the name of the person or team you would like to nominate
their organisation, where relevant
their contact details, if known
the reason for your nomination
examples of how they made a difference

Dying Matters in Rutland may contact you to talk through some of the details you have provided. All nominations will be put forward to a panel of judges, and winners will be announced at the Annual Award Ceremony.