The latest cohort of winners are celebrated today in the second quarterly NBT Hero Awards of 2019.
The awards are a way for staff to recognise their colleagues for the small but amazing things that they do, or the caring, compassionate ways that they act on a daily basis. The awards are funded by Southmead Hospital Charity and presented by NBT's Chief Executive, Andrea Young. The charity also provide an afternoon tea and a bite to eat, giving winners an opportunity to meet their fellow winners and have a chat.
Andrea Young said:
"This is a really great opportunity to celebrate the small things that you all do to make the culture at NBT so lovely. It's not about the groundbreaking reasearch or life-saving operations - although sometimes it is - it's about the way you might have brightened the day for a colleague, or a patient, or a family."
Read the full nominations for all of April's winners below:
Tracey Abram - Support Manager, Neurology
The entire time I have known Tracey she has been an extremely hard worker!
She is really the unsung hero of our department - despite the numerous challenges Neurology has faced in the last year, Tracey has remained positive, worked hard and continued to go the extra mile for patients and staff.
Tracey takes on any challenge with the most down to earth approach and will find a way to work through it. For example, the introduction of the e-Referral Service (eRS) system. Tracey has worked with each clinician and member of staff to ensure the smoothest implementation possible.
I am very grateful to Tracey for all of her hard work and commitment to the department!
Cordeliah Clarke - Administrator, Speech & Langauge Therapy
Cordie has been a special part of North Bristol Trust for just over 20 years. During this time she has been a huge support and true friend to many of the Speech & Language Therapy Team! The last two years have been a particularly challenging time for Cordie for many reasons, but her strength and perseverance have been admirable and her dedication to NBT and her team have not faltered.
Cordie is always happy to be flexible with her hours and working days for the benefit of the team, and has even been known to volunteer extra hours. During this time she would complete jobs to lessen the pressures on her admin and therapy colleagues, see patients in waiting rooms needing help or reassurance, return/make extra telephone calls to patients/MDT members for optimum communication and ensure letters are sent in good time. She also makes a fab cuppa and has a great listening ear!
Cordie regularly leads on learning new processes for the ongoing development of the department and provides training. She often pre-empts problems and endeavours to provide solutions in advance.
She is a warm, kind and approachable individual who brightens up the offices she works in. Her nature helps contribute to the work space being positive, reducing stress and boosting morale.Hopefully this nomination can be a small part of the recognition she deserves and a big thank you on behalf of us all.
Roisin Coary - Care of the Elderly Liaison, ST7 Doctor
Dr Coary has been such an outstanding member of the Multi-disciplinary team- not only has she had a positive impact on patients’ prognoses and decreased their total time in hospital, she has been extremely informative, approachable and jovial whilst doing so.
She is always quick and eager to respond to any and all queries, often teaching as she goes and has an incredibly positive affect on all patients and colleagues that she meets.
I believe this more than qualifies Roisin as an NBT Hero.
Jayne Evans - Physiotherapy Technician
Jayne is a longstanding member of the physiotherapy team. She works within complex care as a physiotherapy technician, and during her time working in this role she had developed a set of skills in managing and optimising physiotherapy assessments and treatments for dementia patients.
To enhance her role further, Jayne has become a dementia champion for the team. She demonstrates compassion throughout the delivery of physiotherapy interventions. Within the complex care physiotherapy team she is well respected for her ability to get patients with cognitive impairments moving and is often called upon for patients who continually refuse to engage.
Jayne utilises her skills of functional assessment, discussing normal daily routines with families and carers, in order to reach the best outcome for her patients. She has a excellent rapport with ward staff, carers and the wider Multi-disciplinary team, who really value her opinions. We would be truly lost without her.
Becky Fowler - Practice Development Nurse, Care of the Elderly
It is probably not widely known just how many medical students are on site at Southmead hospital at any one time, but at some points in the year there can be over 200 from all 5 years of the curriculum. The students are supported whilst on their clinical placements by the North Bristol Academy team. However, we could not do this without the help and support of many of our NBT colleagues.
Becky stands out amongst these colleagues; she is always extremely enthusiastic whenever we ask if students can come and spend time on the Elgar Enablement Unit. Becky is particularly generous and kind towards our junior medical students in years 1 and 2 of their training. Not only does she greet the students personally and ensure that they feel comfortable, but she also goes above and beyond and personally enlists consultants and trainee doctors to teach the students.
Becky is open and friendly to everyone, involves everyone in teaching and exemplifies One NBT which is why we would like to nominate her for an NBT Hero Award.
Jaimon George - Senior Staff Nurse, Medicine/Respiratory
Jai is one of the Band 6 nurses leading the team in 34A under the guidance of Ward Sister Alison.
Jaimon approaches his work with an exemplar attitude, maintaining the positivity and energy necessary to support discharges which maintains patient flow on the ward.
Jaimon frequently changes his shifts and has been coming in to work on his days off, cancelling leave at short notice to help the ward team when there is shortness of staff due to sickness etc. He is not contractually bound to do this, but without his efforts the team could not maintain the improved level of performance.
I feel the trust should be aware of his significant contribution to patient care and recognise his commitment to the broader aims of the organisation and his responsibilities in driving patient flow. A genuine hero!
Jay Guzman - HCA, General/Urology/Gynae theatres
Jay is kind, committed, flexible and has great knowledge in all specialities. Even though he is an HCA, he supports his team very well with his expansive knowledge.
Jay is a real hero for the general, urology and gynae cluster. He is a band 3, but he has a great understanding of all procedures that take place.
When we have staff shortage, he is willing to work without a third person, and when he is working with new staff, he very politely explains how things work.
He is a very hardworking person (although he would never admit that) and is his pleasant nature makes the team feel very calm and at ease.
Staff are very comfortable when Jay is working with them as they know that he can manage any difficult situation and is able to work under pressure. He is an unsung hero and definitely deserves a hero award.
Malcolm Hand - Team Leader, Anaesthetics
After NBT’s waste contractor stopped collecting small, “tricky to recycle” plastic waste in 2018, an ST4 trainee (Sian Hughes) decided to persuade colleagues to collect the small pieces to bulk them up whilst the Sustainability team found another outlet (Children’s ScrapStore).
Sian asked Malcolm’s permission to start this work and then when she moved on to ITU, Malcolm took the idea and turned it into a theatres initiative before persuading colleagues in ITU and interventional radiology to get on board. He now checks every batch of collected waste plastics before they leave site.
He has worked with the Sustainability team to run events engaging people on the topic of plastic waste and explain how people can help. His feedback to his colleagues ensures both continued support but also avoids inappropriate items being placed into the collection containers. Recently his use of the national ODP forum has raised the issue nationally and galvanised others into action. ScrapStore use the collected plastics as an art resource for schools, artists, Scout/Guide groups and the general public.
What started out as a project to collect clean theatre plastic wastes has become an example of how a desire to solve a problem can motivate people to get involved, do their bit and come up with further ideas. Malcolm’s gentle nagging and cajoling has been the inspiration to initiate a wider ‘environmental’ group for theatres, theatre-wide PVC recycling and has kick-started collaboration between the Sustainability and Quality Improvement teams.
Dr Sam Harding - Senior Research Associate, Bristol Speech & Language Therapy Research Unit
I first met Sam after being awarded an NBT research grant to backfill my post one day per week for a year. As a clinical nurse specialist with no research experience at all, I have needed an enormous amount of guidance to set up my project, apply for additional grants and generally try to understand seemingly incomprehensible processes.
Sam has helped me with all of the above with supreme patience, a great sense of humour and endless enthusiasm. Her knowledge and experience are immense and yet she never makes me feel as though I have asked a silly question (which undoubtedly I have & probably the same one many times!) Nothing is ever too much trouble.
Sam responds to emails promptly, is happy to make appointments to meet and always does what she says that she is going to do within an very short period of time. I am aware that she supervises other health care professionals too, so she must have amazing time management skills.
I am hoping to apply for NIHR funding for a PhD in the next year. Sam is a champion of non-medics carrying out clinical research and I would not in be in the position that I am without her help. She is a true hero! Thank you Sam.
Hiu Ying Harris - Staff Nurse, Orthopaedics
Hiu has been one of the nurses on 26A looking after some of the medical outlier patients. We, as the medical outlier SHOs have been impressed by her brilliant attitude and work ethic, and would like to nominate her as an NBT Hero.
She has been exceptional at taking on the task of looking after medical outliers on an elective orthopaedic ward. Despite lots of the outliers being inappropriately moved to 26A and not being the typical patients that the elective orthopaedic ward looks after, Hiu endeavoured to make the best of the situation over the winter period.
She has always carefully listened to the medical outlier doctors and always has a positive attitude. She always gets difficult tasks done and is a great leader for the whole ward. She has fantastic clinical and communication skills. She is an excellent advocate for the patients, trying to get them out of hospital as soon as possible but in a safe and appropriate manner. Thanks for all your hard work and helping to make our job more enjoyable.
Ray Houston-Milllett - Consultant, Emergency Department
Although he is a relatively new consultant, Ray has gone way beyond in the Emergency Department.
He is incredibly supportive of his more junior colleagues and has helped significantly in facilitating the transition between SHO and registrar.
Ray has also set up the Emergency Department social committee, which has been great for team wellness. As an example of his dedication to team welfare, and his hugely supportive attitude, on a particularly busy night Ray not only stayed long after his shift end, he also then returned with donuts for all staff!
We are very fortunate to have excellent consultants in ED - but I particularly wanted to highlight Ray’s enthusiasm and support.
Stewart Lyle - Advanced Technical Support Analyst, IT
Stewart Lyle - what a star! All of the Technical Team in IT are always helpful and Stewart is one of the people who has helped us in many occasions. Everyone in Stewart’s team are great bunch to work with.
We have been lucky enough to have Stewart rescue us on many occasions, for example when we have had technical difficulties with server migration. Stewart is always there to help and no job is too big, too small or too complicated.
Stewart deserves to be nominated for his hard work and professional response whenever he is needed. He always goes the extra mile to help people which is what the NHS and NBT is all about.
I wish him all the best and hope he has a great future, hoping we cross paths again and that he continues to support the trust and make people smile.
Dr Alice Manley - Senior House Officer (SHO)
Dr Manley has been covering our ward in Medical Day Care, and she really does go the extra mile. She has been known to cover the reception desk when the receptionist is away and will offer help wherever she can.
Dr Manley is always willing to help patients as they arrive at the Medical Day Care reception and answer the phones when no one else is at the desk.
I remember a time when we were extremely busy on the ward and she was always offering help and support to others, as well as being very busy with her own duties.
She is always so pleasant and nice to be around, and she will be very sorely missed by all staff on the ward when she leaves Medical Day Care!
Joanna Martinez - Portering Duty Manager
Joanna is a very hardworking duty manager with a tough job. Since Joanna took over the full time management of the PST Porters, she has worked hard to add value to the function. Joanna has effectively managed two big projects in the last year. The first was the introduction of blood collections for the porter team and more recently a new software system for the receipt of porter jobs and allocation of duties.
Joanna is managing the department at a time when procedural and technological changes are happening and she is doing a great job steering her team and helping them cope with the change. To work with as a fellow manager, Joanna is polite, friendly and interested in what you have to say. I think she really promotes the value of striving for excellence and is worthy of recognition.
Elizabeth Mousley - Complex Assessment and Liaison (CALS) Clinical Fellow
I would like to nominate Beth Mousley (CALS Clinical fellow) as an NBT Hero. Beth works so hard for 32A, she is caring, kind and compassionate and if the NHS had a few more Beths then it would be so much more amazing.
Beth sees outside the box, although she is there for the patients’ medical needs, she always considers the person and how we can make their time here in hospital so much better. She considers both the nursing elements and the functional elements of the patient.
Beth supports the junior members of the team and I have witnessed her talking through their patients with them and passing her wisdom onto other members of the team.
Beth is always so considerate of others, but we believe that she deserves this nomination as she is all round amazing.
We are very lucky to have her.
Katie Nailor - Housekeeper, General Surgery ward
Stocking up, washing dishes, making tea, no matter what the task Katie always does it with a smile. A smile that welcomes, a smile that shows warmth and reassurance, a smile that shows she cares.
Katie is a wonderful asset to our busy ward, her quiet yet friendly nature is always so well received by patients, visitors and families. Katie builds a lovely relationship with them all through her ability to show an understanding of situations, the emotions that come with these situations and knows how to console with a cuppa.
Nothing is ever too much trouble, she is a member of staff that we have come to rely upon to support the nursing team.
Katie is OUR hero, when staffing is tight or dependency is high she helps us to maintain the care and dignity of our patients and staff alike. Thank you Katie!
Louise Norris - Staff Nurse, South Bristol Dialysis Unit
Louise is an exceptional Staff Nurse. She is always thorough in her care planning and always delivers care to the highest standards. She follows through all her patient concerns and is a fantastic advocate for our patients and their families.
Louise is also amazingly supportive towards her colleagues and can be relied upon to listen and support wherever and whenever needed. She is a wonderful role model for all.
Louise embraces our NBT values in every way and I feel she should be recognised for her wonderful work.
I am very proud to have such a knowledgeable, caring and compassionate nurse in my unit and I am lucky to be her manager.
Emma Parslow - Ward Manager, Complex Care
I would like to nominate Emma Parslow as an NBT hero and outstanding ward manager.
Despite her many commitments to safety and quality of care on the ward and managerial and pastoral support of her team and colleagues, Emma takes the time to make sure she knows every patient on her ward, as well as their relatives.
She is visible and accessible to patients and staff alike and provides the clinical and operational guidance that is much needed on a complex care ward.
On a busy day (which is most days) I am in awe of how Emma is able to find the time to notice if staff are upset or struggling, whether this is nursing or medical staff. She is always ready to “put down her pen” and listen and her door is always open.
Garry Pearce - Neuro-oncology Support Worker
Garry works as a Cancer Support Worker with the Neuro-oncology team, which is an essential role within the service.
Garry supports all the patients with very aggressive brain tumours, and they require significant support, guidance, care and attention. He always strives to go the extra mile and remains positive and inspirational with his work ethic. He is totally gorgeous with the patient, relatives and all who work with him as a colleague. He is highly respected by all.
The service has undergone a significant transformation and this proved to be a turbulent time, not only for staff but the patients. Garry was on the front line day after day , receiving distressed calls from patients and was instrumental in signposting them to the new team that was going to be looking after them for their oncological treatment. You can appreciate this was a very difficult time to navigate through and make sure that patients had the correct points of contact. He has to be commended for this professionalism and caring nature. We didn’t once get a complaint throughout this period and I am sure, this was truly down to Garry’s approach and dedication to the service.
Sharon Pillinger - Complaints Co-ordinator and PA, Core Clinical Services
Sharon Pillinger has played an integral part within the Core Clinical administrative team since 2010. She has been involved in a number of managerial changes and has adapted to these with great enthusiasm and flexibility to accommodate new arrangements.
Her substantive role is PA to both the Clinical and Operational Directors for CCS which involves attending and minuting highly confidential medical and commercial meetings.
Her ‘can-do’ attitude and collaborative working with immediate colleagues and outside of our division is extremely admirable.
She has worked alongside me in the management and processing of complaints associated with the division. Her level of knowledge and ability to articulate information in writing which has then been signed off by the respective directors is most impressive given our grading bands and limited resources. The CCS record of no overdue complaints since February 2013 would not have happened if it was not for her continual hard work.
Overall, Sharon always takes a pride in her work and is willing to go above and beyond her role to help others. She is an exceptional person who deserves some recognition to make her aware of how much she is valued. Thank you Sharon for being a great colleague.
Gayle Robins - Management Accountant
Gayle is Assistant Management Accountant for NMSK.
She is extremely diligent in her role - requests are always followed through meticulously, in a timely manner, with utmost accuracy and well communicated.
Gayle is very organised, approachable and patient. She is excellent at explaining financial processes to non-finance staff which takes great skill and is important to enhance a positive working relationship.
She provides fantastic support to the service managers which is why I would like to nominate her as an NBT Hero.
Jackie Rogers - Admin Assistant, South Bristol Dialysis Unit
Jackie is the most amazing example of a receptionist.
She does so much to support our patients, relatives and staff and is always so professional in her approach to every task.
Jackie is alway listening to us and always does her best to try and help all of us.
She uses her initiative to troubleshoot and always tries to find a solution, never leaving it to someone else if she can help it.
Jackie never gets cross and it is always a joy when calling the unit to hear her joyous voice.
Jackie hasn’t had a day off sick since 2011 and is always cheerful whatever our pressures.
She lives the NBT values and I am very proud she is part of my team.
Sam Rose - Occupational Therapist
Sam works on one of the complex care wards. She not only treats patients but provides a vital role for relatives and careers to. She is always available for people to talk to and represents the ward and occupational therapy very professionally.
She has been a great Multi-disciplinary team support for other Allied health Professionals new to the ward and is more than willing to share her knowledge and expertise whenever needed.
Sam always has the patient as her main focus and even in difficult situations makes sure patient safety and thei wishes of the patient are her number one priority.
Sam has stayed after her work hours many times in the past to make sure patients and families have what they need. One example of this was when she ensured that carers of a dying patient had the right passes to access the restaurant and free parking, going that extra mile to make this difficult time as comfortable as possible.
Alexandra Taylor - HCA, Renal
I’m nominating Alex for this award due to how absolutely critical she was in saving the life of a patient who was having a stroke.
Alex immediately realised that something was wrong with the patient, even after others on the ward had dismissed the patient as sleeping. Alex insisted that she look into the patient and then once it was apparent they were indeed having a stroke, she made sure that the patient got the correct help needed. This patient was immediately taken for thrombolysis and I believe Alex saved her life.
This was an outstanding example of having your wits about you and making sure the patients are always the priority, and Alex always goes that extra step for her patients.
Sue Tugwell - Administrator, Facilities Management Operational Services
Sue works within the Facilities administration team which is a very busy team indeed and critical to the effective running of the facilities department.
Sue is always polite and friendly when speaking with people and always goes out of her way to help with a query. Sue is always clear and confident in her communication, she always makes you feel like your issue is important, that you are important and she cares about what you have to say.
It is most reassuring that when you need advice or guidance Sue (amongst others in the team) is there to assist. In making the call to Sue two things are for certain; you will get the assistance you need and you will finish the call feeling better about your day.
Sue epitomises the quality of working well together and deserves recognition for being such a decent and caring person.
Thank you Sue.
Congratulations to all!