Every year we recognise and celebrate individuals and teams across our Trust who have been nominated by their colleagues for making a real difference to others.
The 16 winners were nominated by their colleagues or on behalf of patients who shared the difference the member of staff had made to them. It's often something that our Heroes may not even recognise they do, but it means a great deal to someone else.
The winners were invited for coffee and cake, where they got a chance to meet their fellow heroes, find out why they were nominated and take the time to celebrate each other.
At the awards, Neil Darvill, Chief Digital Information Officer shared just how important it is to have these awards and gave a heartfelt thank you to all of this month's winners.
Find out why our Heroes were nominated below:
Helen Sack, Senior Sister
Nominated by Claire Critchard
I wanted to nominate Helen as she is often overlooked in our team. Helen is always so supportive of her staff, she is very approachable and will always try to ensure that the staff are able to have their requests fulfilled or problems heard. Staff are able to come to Helen with all of their problems and worries, often using her as a sounding board, which Helen takes in her stride. She will give advice to her staff and will have honest conversations with them if needed. For me personally, I know that I can speak to Helen about anything, and ask for her help, sometimes what feels like a million times a day, and she is never annoyed or makes me feel like I am pestering her. I really feel that Helen does show the qualities embodied by NBT Cares. She always tries to support her team in furthering themselves if she can, she treats us all with a huge amount of respect especially as sometimes that is not reciprocated, and she supports her team as highlighted above. I hope that you will consider Helen for NBT Hero award, as I really do feel that she deserves it after almost 10 years in the department, through a lot of highs and lows she has shown huge resilience and dedication to our team.
Hannah Thompson, Sister
Nominated by Rebecca Fowler
Working at the 'front door' is always a busy place. It is always like the staff are running a race but Hannah Thompson supports the team and ensures the staff have breaks to let off steam, she walks the unit checking the patients have staff cover whilst the staff have a chance to recover. It is wonderful to see the cohesion of staff and patient wellbeing.
Hayder Ewad, Consultant
Nominated by Rebecca Fowler
Dr Hayder Ewad always has a 'how are you?' for everyone who comes his way. His smile makes every person's day, the other week when he was without his team, the TNA's said he built their esteem, 'nothing was too much trouble for him'. Thank you for looking after the staff in all that you do, the patients must be happy you are their Doctor.
Starn Chan, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Nominated by Honeylyn Sarao
I would like to nominate Starn, who is always approachable and helpful. Our team works closely with Starn and the rest of the TAT (Talent Acquisition team) when it comes to all recruitment related matters. Starn is always ready to answer your queries. If he is not able to respond to the queries straight away, he always ensures that he gets back to you or sign post you to the right direction. He is knowledgeable and therefore, he is our "go-to" when we have questions. Thank you Starn for all of your support and keep up the good work!
Natalia Malada, Administrator
Nominated by Natasha Lovell
I feel it is important to recognise the contribution Natalia made to a recent patient who died on 27b. Natalia helped in what was a very challenging and upsetting situation. The patient’s mum did not speak English and Natalia helped both the ward team and the Palliative Care team to ensure that his mum was supported and kept up to date daily, particularly when it was not possible to organise an interpreter on the phone or in person. Natalia was professional at all times and demonstrated incredible compassion and empathy. She went above and beyond, and I believe helped us to achieve a high-quality death for this young patient and his family.
Alice Payne, Team Administrator
Nominated by Dave Llewellyn
We would like to nominate Alice Payne for an NBT Hero Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the People Division. Alice has demonstrated exceptional dedication, enthusiasm, and a proactive attitude in tackling new challenges. Despite being completely new to the areas of employee experience, retention, and ED&I, she has shown initiative and commitment to advancing this important work. In her role, Alice has played a pivotal role in helping implement several important initiatives that will have a positive impact on our organisation, including setting up diverse recruitment panels for all band 8a (an action in our Trust ED&I plan) and above roles and helping organise engagement events with new healthcare support workers (a key part of our 1 year Trust retention plan). In conclusion, Alice embodies the NBT CARES values. Her contributions have not only positively impacted the different HR teams she has been working with but will also make a meaningful difference in the employee experience of colleagues across the Trust.
Seevakumar Suppiah, Research Nurse
Nominated by Samantha Clarke
Over the past few months, one of our research delivery teams has been struggling due to unfilled vacancies. In order to continue to safely deliver one of our groundbreaking clinical trials exploring a novel therapy to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, Seeve has stepped up to support the team. He has undergone significant training in a new specialty and has supported a multitude of clinical visits to ensure these patients are seen safely and their data is collected in a way that supports the trial. He continues to work in his own specialty alongside this. He has responded with positivity, and often at short notice to ensure that the safety of all patients at NBT, whether his or not, is his absolute priority. He is a true NBT Hero!
Rita Yam, HCSW
Nominated by Vicki Elnagar
Feedback received from a patient whom Rita cared for during an MRI scan - "In preparation for my scan, I had to drink fluid. Rita mixed this fluid with squash, which she had purchased herself, in order for the fluid to be more pleasant to drink. I was struck by what a considerate thing this is to do for patients. Rita showed kindness & compassion. I was very anxious about the appointment & they made it much easier through their actions. They are assets to your team & I hope that you can ensure that this is feedback to them " We are proud to have Rita working for the bank and would like to thank her for all her hard work and exceptional care that she gives to our patients.
Marta Cobos-Arrivabene, Research Nurse
Nominated by Rebecca Jane Cousins
I am nominating Marta her because not only is she fantastic at her job, she is a credit to the work we do and the patients we care for. She is focused and proactive with her work, always prioritising patient safety and well-being. Although I am keen to highlight how hard she works, its really her positivity, straight talking attitude and infectious laugh that made me want to nominate her. A lot of the patients on our trial don't have a good long-term prognosis; Marta has become a real source of strength for these patients, and I've no doubt this has directly contributed to them feeling more able to commit to the 5 year follow-up visits. For these patients, she is their hero. And for all the reasons above and many more, she is ours. Marta - you are brilliant at your job, thank you for being you!
Deborah Stevens, Receptionist
Nominated by Sharon Fionda
Deb is our wellbeing champion on the ward. she always has a smile and an ear if you need to vent or simply have a chat. she is the first person to greet anyone who comes onto the ward and always with a smile and a 'How can I help?' Deb has time for everyone. Deb has started a new initiative on the ward; a wellbeing service dedicated on a Monday where she has blocked times so that staff can book in 15-minute sessions with her; in this time Deb has a therapy room with soothing music, eye masks, refreshing water and ambient lighting. in your time you can sit quietly, have a chat, have a hand massage, foot massage, neck massage and of course a choccie or some sweeties (very important) I feel as do my colleagues that this dedication to the wellbeing of her team makes Deb a hero to us.
Louise Milling, Business Development Manager
Nominated by Jenny Booth
Louise's support to NBT colleagues is absolutely amazing. She has a strong awareness of others, able to detect if someone needs support (work or personal). Work wise, she is extremely capable and competent, with a strong work ethic, committed to get things right for colleagues and ultimately patients. She supports others to do the same and provides additional support where needed. Kind, caring and considerate she goes above and beyond for colleagues, whether it be helping them out, outside of work or coaching and advising with problems. Lou, we are VERY lucky to have you at NBT!
Julia Hirst, Senior Medical Secretary
Nominated by Rachel Geal
I would like to nominate Julia for a NBT Hero Award. A couple of days ago, Julia was asked to cancel one of her Consultant's clinics on the day of the clinic, she rang the patient to tell her that unfortunately her appointment had been canceled due to the Consultant having other commitments. In the afternoon the patient called Julia back and was rather upset to have had her appointment cancelled at short notice. Julia showed empathy towards them and was on the telephone for over 45 minutes. I think Julia is a true NBT Hero, she goes above and beyond especially when the patient is upset and she shows lots of empathy, and kindness to the patient Julia said that she would look into getting them another appointment as soon as she could.
Oscar Bell, Physiotherapist
Nominated by Abi O'Connor
Oscar, along with a few other colleagues, initiated an "NBT Fun Runners" group that is an inclusive social run club. Oscar is very enthusiastic, inclusive and motivating to encourage all levels of runner abilities to attend. He has extended this invite out to any profession and also reached out to the well-being team for people who may find this helpful. I joined the group a few months ago and have personally found the social enjoyment and promotion of exercise for my mental health extremely beneficial. The additional selling point is that everyone is encouraged to join us for a social breakfast at Vue after the run. We all think Oscar is an NBT Hero and deserves to be nominated for this award!
Ellis Barry, Secretary
Nominated by Julie Emsley
I would like to nominate Ellis for a Hero Award. Ellis has worked in the Diabetes Team for a few years and we have seen her massively grow in confidence in this time. She is a huge asset to our team. She demonstrates the NBT values on a daily basis. Ellis has progressed the role of insulin pump service coordinator and is responsible for the large amount of administration associated with this. This is a service that is expanding rapidly with an ever-increasing workload but Ellis takes this in her stride, remains positive and nothing is too much trouble for her. We would be completely lost without her skills and hardworking attitude. She absolutely deserves to be recognized for all her hard work. Thank you Ellis!
Benedict Farrow, Consultant
Nominated by Jennie Speedie
Doctor Farrow took over the care of a patient that we had as an inpatient for several weeks. The patient was awaiting a significant test result and a plan to move forward with her care. The patient was very anxious and concerned about the plan. Doctor Farrow was so professional when he told her the result, but more than that he was very caring, kind and compassionate in the way he delivered the news, he spent a long time explaining what would happen next and gave her the opportunity to ask any questions. I feel owing to the way he was in this the situation and giving the patient time/care and attention he made the patient feel a lot less anxious and in turn this helped the patient. Doctor Farrow always goes that extra mile for the patients and is a pleasure to work with.
Darcey Hewett, Medical HR Advisor
Nominated by Tiffany Patten-Lawrence
I would like to nominate Darcey for a Hero Award in recognition of her unwavering commitment to embodying the Trust's core values. Since joining the Medical Workforce team last year, Darcey's caring nature always shines through in every interaction she has with her team and staff. She has excellent initiative and has shown this throughout her time with us. Darcey exemplifies the utmost respect for others, and treats everyone she encounters with dignity and kindness, and demonstrates an unwavering support for her colleagues. Her caring nature, ambitious spirit, respectful demeanor, and support make her an invaluable asset to our organisation. It’s my pleasure to be able to nominate her to be recognised. Thank you, Darcey, and keep up the amazing work.
