Celebrating our May 2024 NBT Hero Award winners

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 18 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, Peter Mitchell, Interim Chief People 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: 

Tom Milton, Digital Learning Lead

Nominated by Joanne McCready, Senior Project Manager

Citation: Tom was a key part of the Team involved in the successful implementation of BadgerNet Maternity in September. Tom led the planning and delivery of the face to face Training, E-Learning Modules as well as ensuring the c. 200 How to Guides were ready for End Users for Go-Live. During the implementation Tom provided support to our Community Midwives via MS Teams and Telephone over a four week period - covering longer days and some weekends.

Sheryl Birthwright, Admin Assistant

Nominated by Joanna McCready, Senior Project Manager

Citation: I would like to nominate Sheryl for the support she provided to the IM&T BadgerNet Maternity Project Team ahead of the Go-Live in September. Sheryl in particular supported with the LDAP Rollout on BadgerNet NeoNatal ahead of the BadgerNet Maternity Go-Live by being a point of contact for NICU and helping the IM&T Teams to ensure all assets could be used and all colleagues could access BadgerNet NeoNatal. Sheryl also completed WACH Walkarounds for the Floorwalkers ahead of the BadgerNet Maternity Go-Live following some sickness absences within the Project Team.

Carolyn Jones, Nurse

Nominated by Lauren Slater, Nurse

Citation: Whilst working alongside Carolyn in recovery, I observed her ability to recognise a deteriorating patient post-operatively as well as implement emergency interventions. Carolyn’s vast knowledge and quick thinking ensured specific teams attended promptly, and as such the patient received appropriate care leading to a swift and full recovery. Without prompt, Carolyn continued to provide updates throughout, which left the patient feeling reassured that she was in good hands. Although Carolyn was not assigned to me as a Mentor, she voluntarily offered support and guidance. I really appreciated this, as it not only aided my awareness of emergency situations, but it also helped boost my own confidence specifically within this field of nursing. Carolyn is a true inspiration, and most definitely a valued member of the nursing team - We realise how lucky we are to experience the level of compassion and enthusiasm she provides each shift. I, therefore, am nominating Carolyn, for the most part because I believe she deserves full recognition of her efforts, but also because she is selfless, and as such might not be fully aware of the positive impact she has on her colleagues and patients alike. Thank you for being you.

James Taylor Assistant, General Manager

Nominated by Harriet Livesey, Divisional Operations Director

Citation: Since starting his role as Assistant General Manager in June 2022, James has shown inspirational leadership within Breast Care services. His engaging warm and clear principled approach has brought about transformative change within the service. He is driven to create collective effort amongst teams, generating sustainable change owned by all, a team where individuals can feel the real and direct value they bring to the care we provide. By meaningfully involving all those providing care to our patients, both within the service and beyond, he has created a culture of focus and dedication, unlocking long-standing challenges. In the last 12 months, Breast has met national targets for cancer performance, something that had not been achieved in the previous 32 months. More than that, rather than delivering on a single aspect he has recognised those that are important but traditionally under less focus. For example, the service responsiveness to patient phone calls has significantly improved, ensuring patients are supported and have confidence in our care so they can focus on their treatment and recovery. James is greatly valued by his colleagues and is highly deserving of an NBT hero award.

Hannah Thatcher, Information Governance Officer

Nominated by Samuel Hall, Information Governance Manager

Citation: Over the past few months we have struggled to recruit staff and Hannah has been the only IG Officer processing all Subject Access Requests from patients, relatives, police, courts, and solicitors for the whole of the Trust. She really has kept the department afloat whilst under enormous pressure to meet strict legal deadlines, preventing the Trust from being fined and complaints from escalating. Due to the huge workload, Hannah received many phone calls and emails from stressed patients and their relatives chasing their requests but always showed compassion and empathy towards them despite having individuals who were angry and sometimes abusive towards her. Hannah is also a great team player and has been instrumental in providing a warm welcome to our new starters. The department would be in a much worse position now if it wasn’t for Hannah’s hard work over the past few months which means we can start fresh with a new team on a positive note. THANK YOU HANNAH!

Tracey Hughes, Diabetes Assistant Practitioner

Nominated by Nicola Davies, Lead Diabetes Specialist Nurse

Citation: I am nominating Tracey on behalf of the Diabetes Team as she never fails to set an example to us all with her hard work and commitment to the service. Tracey is very skilled in her role, extremely caring, and always goes the extra mile. Our patients simply love Tracey and she regularly receives feedback from patients wishing to express their thanks to her. We would particularly like to provide a recent example where Tracey went above and beyond to ensure the safety of one of our patients. The incident occurred in the atrium where a patient with Type 1 diabetes collapsed. Witnesses and staff were not sure what was wrong and initially called security. Tracey was walking by and noticed the patient on the floor. Suspecting the patient was experiencing severe hypoglycemia, Tracey immediately took charge of the situation to call the crash team and intervene. The person had a blood glucose level of less than 1.1mmol/L, but thanks to Tracey’s quick reactions, the patient received the correct treatment and recovered safely. From all of us Tracey - thank you. You a one in a million and we are so blessed to have you in our team.

Teresa Floyd, HCA Bank

Nominated by Vicki Elnagar, Clinical Facilitator

Citation: I received some lovely feedback from 8b where Teresa has worked that clearly shows Teresa demonstrating the Trust Values Today, Teresa successfully recognised a deteriorating patient and escalated her concerns quickly to both myself and the NIC. Something we are very grateful for. Luckily, Teresa was there as on review our patient was non-responsive, dropped her Neurological function, and required immediate intervention. Thankfully, the patient recovered and thanks to Teresa is still on the ward and well. We as a team wanted to show our appreciation for her skill and alertness as a healthcare professional and express our thanks where possible. We would be lucky to have her as one of our permanent members of staff and I look forward to working with her again.

Georgina Williams, Case Manager

Nominated by Gemma Quijote, Discharge Tracker

Citation: I have been working with Georgina in the ward. I was impressed by how she can multitask. Georgina is well respected in gate 27a where she works. She does her tasks with quality, she’s well-organized and accurate which makes it convenient for all users in the ward. She works on reception, discharge tracker, and all the other bits and pieces which is beyond what she’s supposed to. She has a great relationship with all the team members including the Consultant. I greatly appreciate how she makes discharge planning well organized as not to delay anything for the discharge. She is quick on getting collaterals for patient's early intervention and discharge planning. Georgie as we call her is not only a big help but plays an important role in the cardiology unit. She is hard-working, great in spirit and very helpful. I would say she is a role model and every ward needs a Georgie. She welcomes all visitors coming into the ward. Every day Georgie goes beyond on her work. She knows her job by heart. I believe it is about time to give her recognition if she hasn’t been given it before. I am sure the staff at gate 27a will agree with me on my nomination. She has been so helpful to me as a Case Manager.

Margo Hallas, Placement Officer

Nominated by Victoria Elnagar, Clinical Facilitator

Citation: We received some amazing feedback from the Breast Care Centre demonstrating Margo’s commitment to the Trust Values “Please can I feed back to you about the consistent helpfulness and general promptness and all-round contribution of Margo in your team." We are so proud to have her in our team! I manage the breast unit which is fast-paced and predominantly cancer treatment. Stuff changes fast here and we usually need prompt and helpful responses from corporate colleagues, often at short notice. I know this puts a lot of pressure on teams. Without the help of Margo and your team in the last 13 months we would not have been able to clear our backlog of overdue treatments for breast cancer. Margo and your team have rapidly been able to help us identify appropriate locum medics often at short notice so that we can maximise our clinical capacity for patients This makes such a difference to our patients, but also to our operational teams who are trying to manage as best they can So thanks for all your team's hard work and do ensure Margo knows how much the help has been valued.

Katie Allman, TV Specialist Nurse

Nominated by Kim Whitlock, TVN Matron

Citation: I would like to nominate Katie for a Hero Award. She has worked passionately on delivering two big projects in the last few months, the pressure ulcer boarding card and leading on the ICB Stop the Pressure Conference. The commitment and attention to detail that Katie has given to both projects is a testament to their success. The Pressure Ulcer boarding card is being rolled out across the Trust and includes a video that has been a workstream from the Pressure Ulcer Steering Group. The ICB Stop the Pressure day at BAWA was organised by Katie and was a huge success with a variety of speakers, looped videos, and industry partners for delegates across the system. The success of this event was directly the result of Katie’s exceptional organisation skills and attention to detail. Katie has gone the extra mile to make and outstanding contribution to pressure ulcer prevention in NBT and across the BNSSG system.

Hannah Miller, Programme Manager Urgent Care

Nominated by Cathy Daffada, Associated Director for integrated Discharge

Citation: Hannah is just the most wonderful human being I know! She has worked with us on the delivery of the NBT Transfer of Care Hub since the summer and she has supported us with all our crazy schemes around how best to improve discharge and flow in the hospital. She has been our sounding board for our new ways of working and she has been the voice of the patient when we have headed too far off into the left field and forgotten our purpose to support people home in the most optimal way. She has been the person who has picked us up when things haven’t gone as planned and she’s been the one who has kept the wheels on the truck when we’ve introduced change at the speed of sound. And she’s done all of this with a smile on her face! A true NBT hero!

Fortune Moore, Sister

Nominated by Emerline Albano, Clinical Matron

Citation: I had the privilege to have known Fortune when she was in her 1st year nursing student placement in my ward when I was a Senior Sister. I have seen that she has the potential to be an excellent nurse in the future because of her caring attitude, kindness, and her willingness to learn. Fast forward 3 years, I was her Clinical Matron when she was in her final nursing placement in the neurology ward then eventually when she became a registered nurse in 2021. Fortune was allowed to be appointed to a Band 6 sister developmental post in 34 A in March 2023 and eventually secured a substantive Band 6 sister’s post in Gate 34 b in October this year. She always displays the 6 core values of the nursing profession. Last week I saw how Fortune has managed the workload as being the ward shift coordinator/Nurse in-charge, balancing with the challenges in stroke flow and supporting her team. This week Fortune has received a lovely email/compliment from the Purple Butterfly Volunteer and stated that when she visited a patient in the ward who was at the end of her life and was sleeping quite peacefully. Her son was with her and while they were talking quietly about her family and her life she sadly died. She called for assistance and very quickly Fortune arrived. The volunteer felt that It’s a privilege to be with patients at the end of their life but it was a real privilege to have watched Fortune in her quiet, empathetic way reassure the son that there would be no rush for the family, who were on their way, to leave their loved one and they could stay with their mother for as long as they wished. She observed her carefully and gently removing the syringe driver, lowering and tidying the bed whilst calmly comforting the son. The volunteer commented that she thought it was nursing at its very best.

Duncan Burley, ACP

Nominated by Rachel Taylor, Consultant

Citation: Duncan is an incredible asset to the team. He works incredibly hard on shift and is a wonderful practitioner. He also is hugely supportive of the MDT and supplies excellent ad hoc and formal teaching. He creates a wonderful atmosphere to work in and also contributes to the departmental social calendar, organising walks and activities that are great for well-being. He is a true NBT hero.

Bryn Lewis, NQ Nurse

Nominated by Anitia Brigham, Consultant

Citation: I went to review a palliative care patient who was being cared for using the Purple Butterfly framework and is felt to be in the last days of life, and the patient’s wife could not speak highly enough of Bryn. She said that he went above and beyond when he was on shift and was incredibly empathetic to the patient and all of the family who were there and that he has made a real difference to them all in terms of their experience of feeling cared and supported themselves, but also to feel reassured that their loved one was in safe hands at the end of his life. In particular, she felt that the patient’s son has been really struggling with this terminal phase but said Bryn was able to relate so well to him and that he has in turn been a ‘really positive role model’ for him in helping to express his emotions which has been incredibly powerful for him and will no doubt help him longer term through the grieving phase. I understand Bryn is a recently qualified nurse so to have this level of care, empathy and understanding of patients and their loved ones needs at this very difficult time is really amazing and I feel like he would be very deserving of an NBT hero award for the really positive impact that he is having on his patients and thier loved ones.

Mark Bowen, Senior Project Manager

Nominated by Kathryn Kaboutian, Joint Deputy CDIO

Citation: I would like to nominate Mark as he is a true NBT hero who lives and breathes by NBT’s values every single day. I am nominating Mark, not because he achieves his objectives (which he does); but because he is such a positive role model and I feel very lucky to have him in my Team. Mark is very enthusiastic and treats every day as a school day and is willing to learn. He is very comfortable being in a space of continuous change where he doesn’t know where he is going to be from one minute to the next - from being on a ward supporting clinical system go-lives, to running projects himself, to picking up key patients safety projects - all with a smile on his face. Mark is thought very highly of not just by his immediate team but by all those who come into contact with him on a daily basis and I thought this was a great way to showcase Mark's value and contribution to NBT as well as an opportunity to say thank you for his commitment, leading by example, being an excellent role model and being a pleasure to work with. Mark always listens, is receptive to feedback, a great listener, very compassionate, curious to learn, grow and develop and is an asset to NBT. Thank you Mark.

Joel Walker, Theatre Practitioner

Nominated by Stuart Crandon, Clinical Coordinator

Citation: Joel is relatively new to our team, joining us in late August. In that time he has excelled at becoming part of the team and building his knowledge. Recently Joel has been stepping up and taking the initiative to teach and train other members of the team, and helping others to build on their own skills. Myself and the Team Leaders have all been impressed by his own rapid learning, and an ability to pass this knowledge on to others so quickly and effectively after such a short period of time. While we are experiencing so many staffing and skills issues throughout the trust, it is a great help to have someone so keen on helping others learn and progress, while developing themselves, benefiting the team as well as the patients we see.

Andrew Parsonage, Digital Transformation Comms & Engagement Manager

Nominated by Kathryn Kaboutian

Citation: Andrew genuinely is an NBT Hero and really deserves to be rewarded and recognized for his loyalty to both NBT and the Team. Andrew is soon to leave NBT after a remarkable 6 years within our organisation and it's evident that his contributions have been nothing short of exceptional. Andrew has been a cornerstone of our digital transformation success and consistently demonstrates unwavering dedication, creativity, and professionalism in all aspects of his role. From fostering strong internal divisional communications to spearheading engaging initiatives to support Digital Transformation and has therefore played an integral role in shaping our workplace comms culture for digital transformation for the future. Andrew has always gone above and beyond his duties, striving to cultivate an environment where every member of the NBT Hero Award Citation: team feels valued, heard and inspired to contribute. His innovative approach has strengthened bonds between IM&T and both clinical and operational colleagues but has also significantly contributed to the digital transformation success. Andrew has shown remarkable leadership skills in guiding his team with empathy, enthusiasm, and a genuine commitment to always be better and keep things fresh – his ability to motivate and inspire others has been instrumental in the success of his function and in promoting collaborative and supportive working relationships across the wider organisation. Andrew really does live by NBT values and embodies them with integrity, humility, and a relentless passion for excellence. As I reflect on Andrew's 6-year journey with us, its clear that his impact goes way beyond his job description. He has not only contributed to the success of our team, our Strategy and our organisation but has also enriched the lives of everyone fortunate enough to work alongside them. In recognition of Andrews tireless efforts and his unwavering dedication, I wholeheartedly endorse Andrew for a Staff Hero Award. His 6-year service stands as a testament to his remarkable talent, commitment, and passion for making a difference. Its seems very appropriate that as he comes to the end of his journey with NBT, we recognise his commitment and his loyalty and thank him for his outstanding service to our organisation.

Neil Hawkins, Information Analyst

Nominated by Stephen Cutler, Head of Integrated Discharge

Citation: Neil is simply brilliant. As our Integrated Discharge Service and Transfer of Care Hub (ToCH) have grown considerab

ly over the last year, our requirement for BI support has been considerable. Neil has been consistently professional, balanced, approachable, and knowledgeable in all the communication we have had. He has managed to balance multiple tasks, tweaks in current ways of recording and reporting, and more recently has developed a ToCH dashboard. This dashboard is a real game-changer for how we manage operationally in our ToCH environment. We have many organisational partners and competing pressures, and this will allow us to be able to understand the picture previously, live, and to prepare for the future. As ever Neil has produced brilliant work, and has been a joy to work with to put it together. Thank you Neil.

Edward Nicks, Volunteer

Nominated by Damon Fey, Marie-Emilie Magnac & Michelle Down

Damon Fey - Edward always shows such initiative and is always putting the patients first. He's so attentive and kind, caring. Maria-Emilie Magnac - Ted has been a volunteer in the hour team since September. Edward has demonstrated exceptional efficiency in his role. His ability to take initiative and support the patient and the team has significantly contributed to everyone well well-being. He constantly goes above and beyond to support colleagues and patients creating a positive environment. Michelle Down - Gate 28B would like to nominate Edward for a NBT Hero award. Edward joined our team of volunteers recently on Gate 28b, he is hardworking and very dedicated to the volunteer role, joining us every weekend.. Edward provides valuable support to the ward team and patients, especially ensuring their meals and drinks are served,. Edward is always willing and keen to help with whatever he can and always to a high standard. Edward is very popular with the patients and our team and always leaves a lasting impression that takes in NBT’s core values. Edward recently went above and beyond when he spent the week with us during his time off of college rather than taking some time out for himself. Edward is a great member of our team and we feel very lucky to have him.