February's NBT Hero Awards sees the Awards' largest number of nominees recognised.
Today marked the first NBT Hero Awards of 2020. The awards are funded by Southmead Hospital Charity.
In response to more and more staff recognising their colleagues through the NBT Hero Awards, the number of ceremonies have increased from 4 per year to 6 per year.
Andrea Young, Chief Executive of North Bristol NHS Trust opened the ceremony by welcoming and thanking staff:
"You may think that you're just doing your jobs, but as you will find out over the next hour and a half, your actions have made a real impact on a colleague or someone you've worked with. Whatever you do and wherever you work, you are special, you are noticed and you are appreciated. Thank you."
Read the full nominations for all of February's winners below.
Ami Phillis - Administrator, Imaging
(nominated by Debbie Hacker - Imaging Support Manager)
I would like to nominate Ami as a hero after an amazing display of professionalism and caring. Ami was making a call as part of the confirmation calling process, and it turned out that the lady she was calling had had a fall and was lying on kitchen floor. Luckily, the patient had a lifeline necklace so she was able to answer Ami’s call. Ami was incredibly calm, kind and professional, establishing that the lady had called someone but that she wasn't sure who and that they weren't due until 9.00pm that night. Ami contacted the patient’s GP to find out her next of kin, but the GP did not have this information as nobody was listed. The GP gave Ami the number for a carer but this turned out to be out of date. During all of this Ami remained calm and reassuring, until eventually one of her colleagues called 999 and she let the patient know that someone from the ambulance service would call or attend her shortly.
Ami was a credit to this department, so kind and caring with a genuine desire to ensure the best outcome for this lady’s safety and wellbeing.
John Fensome - Volunteer
(nominated by Craig Flowers - Ward Manager, 27B)
John has always been in service to his country and community. He spent 22 years in the forces, then worked for the Red Cross supporting people in the community and has worked in the trust as a volunteer since 2003.
He is extremely professional and is a real asset to the ward environment. John has a pleasant and engaging personality endearing him to the patients and the staff working with him. Nothing is too much trouble and he will happily help out in any way he can whilst working on the ward.
Catherine Dixon - Respiratory Physiologist
(nominated by Jason Viner - Head of Physiology, Respiratory Physiology)
Catherine is an excellent physiologist. She constantly strives to provide excellent care and diagnostic accuracy. She always goes the extra mile, including demonstrating her incredible teaching ability which she utilises with visiting medical students and nurses.
Catherine is also a member of the Interstitial Lung Disease support group which supports our sickest patients. She is always keen to take on new projects and leads them with patient care in mind. She is currently developing a test and treatment with people suffering from vocal cord dysfunction, which is a very difficult and untreated area of medicine.
Catherine Gray - Housekeeper, South Bristol Dialysis Unit
(nominated by Caroline Bromwich - South Bristol Dialysis Unit Manager)
I would like to nominate Catherine for her conscientious dedication, hardworking and uplifting work ethos. She fully lives and embeds the NBT Trust values.
Catherine is always thinking about her work and how she can improve the experience for patients and staff. When asked to consider the "last 1000 days" initiative, she carefully looked at small but effective ways to assist, such as how refreshments are presented and the attitude with which they are delivered. The patients love her approach and said she makes them feel better when she is on duty. She is warm, welcoming and always happy even when the unit is under pressure.
Catherine has adapted practices which have saved NHS money such as laminating cleaning labels where appropriate and implementing practices which address safety. She has embraced extra duties such as managing the cleaning audits and completely reviewed and implemented a stores system that helps ordering, delivery, storage and manual handling. Her support to her colleagues is greatly appreciated and we thank her.
Chinedu Nkole - Stroke Consultant
(nominated by Suzanne Moss - Senior Sister, 7B)
I would like to nominate Ned as myself and the ward team feel he has made an outstanding contribution to the medical input the patients have received. Ned shows outstanding care and communication to all members of the team, patients and their relatives, he is always compassionate and puts the patients first.
Not only is Ned’s clinical care exceptional but so is his leadership skills. Ned makes time to teach all members of the team and takes time to explain his decisions when colleagues have been unsure of a decision outcome. Ned does this respectfully and professionally as he is always willing to listen to others peoples view.
He is deeply committed to his work, respectful and kind and due to his character and clinical attributes patient care and flow has been more efficient since he has joined our team.
Christina Firmin - Sister, NICU
(nominated by Megan Cooper - SHO, NICU)
We recently looked after a new-born baby whose outlook was poor, and it was an incredibly emotional and difficult time for the family. Chrissie was their main nurse for much of this period. She developed such a good rapport with the family and was sensitive and caring towards the patient, parents and all the visitors, whilst maintaining a thorough and professional approach towards his care and medical interventions. The patient passed away peacefully after nearly 2 weeks on NICU. I feel that she went beyond being a 'good nurse' and was a reassuring and calming influence on everyone involved.
Deana Pring - Housekeeper, Central Delivery Suite
(nominated by Susan Williams - Midwife, CDS)
Deana works extremely hard on every shift and we can always tell when she is on duty as the ward is neat and well organised. Nothing is ever too much trouble for her; she will always go the extra mile to support her colleagues.
Deana is always polite and professional. She is so kind to women and their families ensuring they have everything they need. Deana starts and ends her day always with a smile, regardless of how busy the shift has been. She even brings in delicious homemade cake for the staff to enjoy. She is loved by all the staff and is an absolute treasure.
Georgina Hunter - Assistant Practitioner, 8B
(nominated by Tara Iles - Matron, ASCR )
Georgie is an outstanding member of staff. She consistently demonstrates kindness and compassion. She is always the smiling face of gate 8B, even when the hospital and the ward is under a lot of pressure.
I recently met with a patient who raised some concerns about their stay earlier in the year. A member of staff stood out as 'simply brilliant', and it was not long before I realised she was talking about Georgie. Her commitment and passion for her job shines through, always putting patients first.
A great example of One NBT and definitely a Hero in my eyes.
Heather Ellis - Occupational Therapist
(nominated by Sasha Woodham - Physiotherapist, Stroke ESD team)
Since joining the Stroke ESD in February 2019, Heather has worked tirelessly to support stroke patients in the community during a vulnerable and stressful time in their life. She always goes the extra mile to meet their needs in a caring and compassionate way often liaising with an expansive MDT team to ensure that her patient's needs are met, while also providing effective evidence based therapy that assists them in their functional progress.
This holistic approach has provided excellent support to stroke patients and they have often fed back their appreciation of her input, one patient rating her 11/10 for the therapy she provided.
Heather has demonstrated excellent team working skills. She has taken on a number of teaching and training sessions and always shares new knowledge to the wider therapy team on courses that she has attended. She has also demonstrated resilience and a calm attitude during more difficult periods, which has kept team morale up.
Jamie-Anne Vinall - Healthcare Assistant, 28B
(nominated by Kellie-Rose Clyde - Sister, 28B and Hannah Morris - Sister, 28B)
Kellie-Rose Clyde
Jamie had recently completed her Band 3 HCA training. As it has been winter and the ward has been extremely busy, Jamie has been a massive support for the trained nursing staff. Jamie never complains about the heaviness of the ward and has a "just get on with it" attitude. I have worked a few shifts with Jamie where I know I would have struggled without her help. Jamie doesn't just take on the responsibilities of a Band 3 HCA, but also makes sure that all Band 2 tasks are completed each shift. She is an asset to the ward for her continuous hard work and always delivers a high level of care to patients with a smile.
Hannah Morris
Jamie-Anne always goes above and beyond in her job role, sometimes staying beyond her shift to ensure her tasks are completed. She is always willing to help others, and will always strive for excellence. Jamie is a prime example of NBT Hero and she deserves recognition for her continued amazing support to all team members and is valued greatly on 28B.
Jana Nayak - Staff Nurse, South Bristol Dialysis Unit
(nominated by Caroline Bromwich - South Bristol Dialysis Unit Manager)
Jana is an excellent, experienced and dedicated renal dialysis nurse. He is a lynch pin to our service at SBDU for our patients, and our team really appreciate his presence and contribution.
Jana works methodically in an environment that is often pressured, and always behaves in a supportive manner. He is a superb mentor to all who need this support and his skills as a dialysis nurse are always thoughtfully delivered to a Gold Standard.
He excels in taking on extra support roles for our unit, such as the link role for the clinical research projects happening here, and his work is meticulous. As his manager, I am delighted to have him as part of this team and I am proud of the expertise he displays and the role-modelling he demonstrates. A wonderful asset to SBDU and NBT, living our Trust values every day. Thank you Jana.
Jane Hill - Specialty Manager, Medicine
(nominated by Janne Britton - Quality Governance Co-ordinator, Medicine)
Since I joined Medicine some 8 years ago, Jane has been a great Specialty Manager. She is very personable and works well with staff at all levels, keeping her humour and cool even when times are challenging.
Jane has great empathy for everyone she comes across or manages. She is practically minded; offering solutions, rather than complaining about the problems. Jane does brilliant daily work on flow, doing all she can to ensure that patients are in the right place at the right time in their journey.
Jane is always ready to listen and willing to help; if she can't help, she will undoubtedly know the person who can. Jane's manner and approach is encouraging to all the staff she interacts with, and it rubs off on everyone.
All in all Jane is a 'good egg', who is an asset to Medicine and to NBT.
Kirsty Morris - Administrator, Outpatient Bookings Department
(nominated by Dr Jonathan Hayes - Clinical Chair, Clinical Commissioning Group)
I just wanted to feedback a really positive experience that I had today with a member of staff.
Having had an earlier, less helpful experience over the phone, Kirsty in Outpatient Appointments was absolutely fantastic in helping me to sort a patient out with an urgent outpatient assessment. The patient had been waiting for 5 months for an urgent appointment, but is now being seen in the next 48 hours, thanks entirely to Kirsty.
She really went the extra mile for me this morning and demonstrated a really merit-worthy, professional and vocational approach to finding a quick solution in order to do the best thing for a patient in need.
Laura Thomas, Lead Clinical Scientist, GI Physiology
(nominated by Anne Pullyblank – Consultant Surgeon)
Laura has led the set up and running of the GI physiology laboratory - a service which we did not previously have at NBT. The lab performs physiology tests for both lower and upper GI tract. Most importantly, Laura has helped implement pathway change whereby she manages lower GI patients under the supervision of consultants.
She has been empowered to institute treatment such as physiotherapy referrals, dietician referrals, biofeedback and rectal irrigation. This means patients have streamlined treatment as it reduces visits and time for referrals to be made. Under her care, most patients with pelvic floor problems are discharged with improved symptoms. If they do not resolve, it has been agreed that Laura can refer directly to the city-wide pelvic floor MDT or back to a consultant. This has revolutionised care for our patients as Laura and her team provide telephone support and open access.
Laura also supervises trainees, developing the next generation of physiologists. Her service has improved what we can offer patients at NBT and provides non-operative treatment for common, distressing conditions such as incontinence. She is brilliant.
Lauren Slater - Practice Development Teacher, NBT Apprenticeship Centre
(nominated by Jonathan Hall - Acting Non-Medical Education Manager, NBT Apprenticeship Centre)
Lauren works as a healthcare assessor with the Apprenticeship Centre at NBT. She has a caseload of around 36 Healthcare Support Workers that she supports to achieve either a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification in health. Her support and commitment to her learners is second to none. Lauren always wants the best for her learners and this shines through in the work that she does every day. I have included some feedback from both a learner and another member of our team. I want this nomination to be a massive thank you to Lauren for all of the work that she does every day.
Feedback from team member
It was a pleasure to do the mock observation of Kayleigh this morning, such a fantastic HCA. She showed a very holistic approach. Kayleigh said that you had been an AMAZING assessor and that you had taken her on last year, completely organised her and made the apprenticeship a very worthwhile experience for her.
Feedback from learner
Lauren was so supportive and went out of her way to take time to talk through the options ahead of me, and supported me whilst changing job role, helping me to complete the tasks necessary to switch to a level 2 position. Lauren has visited me in my new job role, and ensured that communication and support with my line managers was maintained. Lauren showed real understanding and care whilst supporting me; I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her help - it has meant so much. As well as being a brilliant assessor and mentor, Lauren has also shown that she is excellent at providing the support that individuals sometimes require when struggling with personal issues and job roles; I wanted to highlight how important this has been to me.
Amanda Betty - Housekeeper, Percy Phillips Ward
(nominated by Sheryl Birthwright - Maternity Care Assistant, Percy Phillips Ward)
Mandy is an extremely hard working and efficient Housekeeper on Percy Phillips Ward, she always go that extra mile to make sure our patients have a positive experience whilst in hospital. She also spends a lot of her own time doing things for others.
Mandy has arranged raffles and cake sales and has taken on the Brunel abseiling challenge, amongst other sponsored events, to raise funds for Southmead Hospital Charity. She has spent a lot of time collecting donated knitted blankets that are unable to be used for NICU babies for whatever reason, and putting them all together to make larger blankets for Elgar so that these blankets won’t get wasted and that the patients on Elgar may get some comfort from these.
Mandy also ensures that our regular volunteers feel valued when they come and offer their time to us. We have a regular volunteer who is an elderly lady who kindly gives her time every week, Mandy organises staff to make donations of items and puts together a large hamper for this lady at Christmas time.
Mandy has ensured that we have a collection of birthday cards on the ward available so that any new Mums that happen to be in hospital for whatever reason on their birthday is given a birthday card from the staff here, just a little something to make them smile. She is such a valued member of the team and is so efficient. Our workplace and our ward would not be the same without her.
Michael Okocha - ST3 Doctor
(nominated by Lorraine Motuel - Patient Safety Lead, Quality Improvement team)
Michael is a doctor in training and he recently saw a need for junior doctors to celebrate and present their Quality Improvement work.
Michael took it upon himself to organise a South West QI event for doctors in our L&R building, which is so impressive! Not only did Michael arrange for poster presentations with certificates and a group of judges, he also arranged for some great national speakers to attend and present to the attendees.
The day went well and you could see the pride in all the doctors that attended, what an amazing day with lots of positive feedback. Michael did all this with no budget but lots of enthusiasm. Thank you Michael, you are exactly what makes Southmead a great place to work.
Michael Smith - Housekeeper, 33B
(nominated by Silvia Rubino - Ward Manager, 33B)
Michael is the Housekeeper on 33B. He is always cheerful and smiling, keeping the patient spirits up. One patient commented that "he is like a tonic when you are a patient".
Although he is always going the extra mile, Michael stays very modest and treats all the patients like they are special. If a patient has a special request, such as something different to eat or drink, Michael will go out of his way to get it for them. A hero describes Michael perfectly.
Mohamed Darboe - Porter, Level 0
(nominated by Susan Bessant - Senior Staff Nurse, Gate 31)
Mohamed always does his very best for the patients he is looking after or transferring and he has a wonderful kind and caring manner with the patients, carers and staff. On 2 separate occasions recently he has stayed on Gate 31 to transfer patients to another ward at the very end of his shift. Mohamed on both occasions informed me he would stay and do the transfers, despite the fact that he would end up going home late. Whenever I have thanked Mohamed for all the work he has done on the unit, he just shrugs it off and says it’s all part of his job. He doesn’t realise how important he is to us as a team. I would like him to know that my ward managers and I really do appreciate Mohamed for everything he does on our unit and around the hospital.
Nicholas Elworthy - Dispatch Operative, Decontamination Facilities
(nominated by Dawn Pegler - Decontamination Manager)
Nick has been with the Trust for 17 years now and his enthusiastic approach to work has not diminished in any way. Nick’s role for the past several years has been to deliver the clean and collect the dirty equipment and items from NBT clinic’s and outpatient departments. Nick is well known and well liked throughout these areas. His role was also extended to assist us as a driver delivering urgently requested theatre kit when we were based off site for a couple of years near Almondsbury.
He is always enthusiastic, accommodating, and helpful to anyone, staff and patients alike. Nothing is too much for him. He is an honest, kind and genuine person. Many staff in several of the outpatient departments ask after him as they wish to know when he will be returning to duty when he takes annual leave, as he is missed, and they always comment that he is irreplaceable.
I think Nick deserves this award in recognition for his unfaltering commitment of assistance to staff and patient care.
Owen Dunkley - Clinic Preparation Admin, Patient Records
(nominated by Jane Godden - Receptionist, ICU)
Owen exemplifies what a team player is! For me it is about seeing a need and assisting if you can. Owen does this, with a friendly manner as well. When our reception is busy on arriving to collect notes he will help us to clear the queue of visitors waiting to come into the department. I know that when he finds lost visitors he takes them to the correct place and has indeed has turned up here with ‘lost’ visitors. This shows the trust in a good light, so that in stressful times (which ICU visitors have) he is will help them regardless of the fact that this is clearly not his own department. Also conversely it puts his department in a good light that he very promptly deals with queries and won’t rest till he finds a solution to the query.
Most people know Owen (in admin roles) in this hospital, he is popular for the reasons mentioned above and it shows off his friendly, helpful and kind nature, he has even appeared on the staff survey posters!
Samantha Penny - Senior Library Assistant, Library and Knowledge Services
(nominated by Hannah Wood - Clinical Librarian and Sarah Rudd and John Loy – Librarians)
Hannah Wood
Sam has taken the role of Senior Library Assistant, after previously holding Library Assistant role. Since starting her new role, Sam has risen to the challenge and has performed exceptionally, while covering also for her vacant post which will soon be filled by a new member of staff. Sam has helped to create a plan to assist the future Library Assistant, and has come up with some excellent innovative ideas for promoting evidence-based practice and supporting the Library (including learning how to use Twitter for library promotion and starting a competition to win a book). She has supported me in my new role here at NBT, and has been very welcoming, kind and supportive, and has been a great help with supporting my work (and indeed CPD) by providing me with evidence-based articles. She is a true asset to the Library team, and over the past three months has really developed her skills and risen to the challenge, without complaint and with a contagious positive attitude.
Sarah Rudd and John Loy
Sam is always someone you can rely on, having worked at NBT for more than 14 years, and recently she really stepped up, when taking on the role of Senior Library Assistant. Without Sam’s conscientiousness and willingness to go the extra mile on tasks, the Library would have found it difficult to continue to provide some of its services to the same high standard. Additionally, when the new Library Assistant took up her post, Sam took the time to provide her with the necessary training to be able to undertake the role quickly, whilst still providing a point of contact the Library Assistant can go and ask questions of.
Sandica Moroianu - HCA, Elgar 2
(nominated by Nicola McGregor and Rebecca Greatorex – Sisters, Elgar 2)
Sandi is an asset within the Elgar 2 team, always going above and beyond her role to assist team members, patients and their families.
Sandi's attention to detail is second to none and the time and care put into each patient is well appreciated by not only patients but their families too. On a number of occasions families have highlighted to our ward matron, of the great care they have received from Sandi. Sandi also takes part in projects in her own time to ensure patient care is constantly improved within the ward - also taking the time to assist other team members to improve their skills.
It is a pleasure working alongside Sandi every shift and no matter the daily challenges faced on the ward, Sandi always delivers 110%!
Thank you for all of your hard work here on Elgar. You are more than a Hero!
Stacey Watmough - HCA, Early Pregnancy Clinic
(nominated by Angie Sledge - Midwife, Early Pregnancy Clinic)
I would like to nominate Stacey for an award for dealing with a very challenging situation in Early Pregnancy clinic.
Stacey answered the phone to a woman who was distressed and losing consciousness. Her 10 year old son then came on the phone to say his mother was unresponsive. Immediately Stacey alerted members of staff who then put an urgent 999 call out to the woman's address. Stacey stayed on the phone, talking to the child, keeping him calm and asking him frequently how his mother was. There were also two other children in the house, an 8yr old and a 2yr old who were distressed. Stacey continuously gave reassurance that their mother was going to be okay and that an ambulance was on its way. She asked the boy to open the front door so the paramedics could gain access immediately when they arrived.
Throughout this ordeal, Stacey remained calm and professional but above all kind and reassuring. She stayed on the phone for over 12 minutes talking to the children until the paramedics arrived. The woman was brought into hospital and found to be suffering from a traumatic miscarriage which can be life threatening. Stacey’s actions in this situation were most definitely heroic, a real proud moment for the team.
Susan Shaul - Appointment Booking Clerk, Neuroradiology
(nominated by Rosalind Taylor - Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Neurosurgery)
We wish nominate Sue for an NBT Hero Award on behalf of the Advanced Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner team.
Sue has worked within Radiology for many years and she goes out of her way to help patients with scan appointments, coordinating these with other hospital attendances. She is always willing to help staff where there are urgent scans that require prompt attention and this allows patients to be ready with the right diagnostics at the right time, especially when neurosurgery is required urgently.
Her thorough approach and knowledge of the speciality and department helps with service delivery, especially at times where the hospital is under pressure.
Her sense of humour, vibrant personality, years of service and all round being a team player deserve recognition.
Congratulations to all winners!