On Monday afternoon, we celebrated our fourth round of hero award winners for 2023.
The awards celebrate staff and teams who go above and beyond for their patients, recognise unsung heroes, and demonstrate our values in everything they do - being caring, ambitious, respectful, and supportive.
The 21 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.
You can read more about our incredible winners below:
Fiona Mckean, FM Helpdesk administrator
Nominated by Natasha Comer, FM Helpdesk administrator
Fiona always goes above and beyond, and helps everyone that needs it. Working extra shifts at late notice and always offers to work double shifts. She helps everyone including managers in the department with rostering and absences out of her remit as we only work weekends there is no one else in the office to assist. I just want Fiona to know that her commitment to this team and her willingness to step up and do what needs to be done, even if it falls outside her job title, doesn't go unnoticed.
Claire Davies, E-Rostering Facilitator
Nominated by Lorraine Warne, Business Operations Manager
What can i say about Claire? She is fantastic! With short notice we needed to get Genetics live on E-Rostering, a department of ~200 staff most of whom had never used the system.
Claire went the extra mile in supporting our roll out, building five units, more than 20 teams and training all 200 staff. Then she had to deal with all our questions and queries and correct our mistakes! Claire was always happy to help at the drop of a hat with a big smile and very approachable manner. Claire please accept a huge thank you from everyone in Genetics!
Jo Smithson, Sister
Nominated by Louise Hills, Sister
Jo looked after a very poorly patient who came to 27A. His condition was deteriorating over the day. Jo escalated the patient's care, resulting in him going to ICU for further care. The patient is now improving and has returned to the ward. Jo supported the patient and his family, achieving the best care for him.
Vicki Mathias, External Communications Manager
Nominated by Steve Hams, Chief Nursing Officer
I am delighted to be nominating Vicki for a NBT Hero Award. Vicki has been instrumental in supporting the wider nursing and midwifery team over the past 12 months, Vicki has helped, through a range of communication methods, us to share key messaging and celebrating the important and valuable impact of the nursing and midwifery professions to patient care here at NBT. Personally, I have valued Vicki's expert and joyful approach and I am amazed that she is never offended by the accidental swear words I use when I mess my lines up! Vicki is a great advocate for NBT, and is fabulous NBT Hero.
Aimee Yendle, Antenatal Screening Manager
Nominated by Bonny Hetherington, Matron
Aimee has taken on the challenge to make significant improvements to the Antenatal Screening Service, working many extra hours over her contracted hours to lead a service that has been understaffed due to vacancies and sickness, while also having unstable senior management during this period of time. She has always put the needs of the service users at the forefront of her work, ensuring that their needs are met, whilst also working hard to meet the KPIs set by NHS England. Aimee has worked collaboratively across many teams to ensure that the service runs smoothly and that all parties involved are maintaining the high standards of care that she works by.
Aimee has shown dedication and expertise in her field of work, and due to her passion and incredible work ethic, which has really turned things around. Although this was a team effort, Aimee has led that team to achieve the high standards of care and service provision that they are respected for. Thank you!
Tina Walburton, Healthcare Support Worker
Nominated by Vicki Elnagar, Clinical Facilitator
Feedback from a patient ... Amazing. Well done Tina! I was hoping to thank the lovely Tina, who was walking out of the John Lewis end of Cribbs with her elderly parents and so very kindly offered me a lift! My car had decided to do an enormous jolt whilst in the fast lane on the northbound M5 (en route to Southmead Hospital), 1.5 miles from the J17 exit that we were aiming for. We had to move across all the lanes to reach the hard shoulder by which time the car was in limp mode ... SO SCARY! We 'limped' at hardly any miles an hour with our hazard lights on, for over a mile before leaving the motorway and thought it best to chug along to Cribbs as it is so near the M5, rather than try to get to the hospital for my appointment. I jumped out of the car and my husband parked it whilst I went in search of a taxi. I needed to ask someone where I'd find one - luckily for me Tina was walking towards me so I asked her. She was so lovely to offer to take me, a complete stranger, to the hospital. She told me she was a nursing assistant on the bank at the hospital. Please, please thank her for me. I so appreciated being offered that lift! Your hospital is an amazing building but the staff are even more amazing! Especially Tina!
Jeremy Hall, FM Operations manager
Nominated by Michael Nutland, Portering manager
Jeremy has been with the Trust for 14 years but spent the majority of it on estates with Capital planning. He has been with soft FM now for eight-nine months and the difference he has made has been game-changing. He puts so much effort into everything he does and is always willing to go the extra mile when it is needed. We started our new roles only months apart and he has been very supportive to myself and the other Heads of Service under his remit. He really deserves some recognition for his hard work, enthusiasm and never say die attitude. He is inspirational.
Sharon Cowan, Nurse
Nominated by Huzaifa Adamali, Consultant
Sharon has been a great advocate for people of global majority. She is a BAME Lead in the Trust. Last year she was pivotal in organising the BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2022. She displayed incredible leadership in bringing this event to fruition. It incorporated music, food, lectures and teaching, workshops, women events....all the best NBT had to offer to raise awareness of the work that is being undertaken by people of global majority. I am impressed by her inclusive style, kindness and curiosity to learn and support people around her. Even during the most difficult times she did not loose her 'cool' and exemplified how 'things need to be done right in the Trust'. I have been privileged to work with this fine colleague and truly its remarkable what she has achieved for the organisation!
Sonia Teixeira Assado Whittard, ANP urology
Nominated by Jack Galliford, Consultant
I have had the pleasure of liaising with Sonia twice. On both occasions I have been asking for simple advice over patient care with regards to urological issues after kidney transplantation, but she did more than this, she gave help and then managed the issue; owning the clinical/ urological concern and rapidly delivering a plan/ solution to us before then actually doing it and liaising directly with the patient and consultant colleagues to ensure everything was satisfactory. Rarely do I witness such a 'can do & will do' attitude when actually what this is about is more work for the stretched system and personnel to have to deal with. Furthermore, her appraisal of the situation, once with lateral thought and fall back options if the plan fails, has been perfect on both occasions, communication quick and superb and clearly after action has personal talents technically. A great colleague. A hero.
Courtney Harvey, Emergency Zone Receptionist
Nominated by Nia Jenkins, Emergency Zone Admin Manager
We have been incredibly short staffed over the last few weeks in our EZ reception team. Despite this Courtney shows up to work every day with a positive attitude, ready to help any patients and colleagues that may need it. Her kindness and willingness to help makes working under difficult circumstances so much more pleasant. She is a credit to our team and an all round star!
Lucy Holmes, Highly Specialised Pharmacist for Anaesthetics, Surgery and Critical Care
Nominated by Andrew Parsons, Principal Pharmacist for Anaesthetic, Surgery and Critical Care
During a period of challenging staffing due to sickness, Lucy stepped up to help provide extra support to the pharmacy critical care team and clinical pharmacy manager team ensure the continuity of high quality pharmaceutical care to ICU and theatres. She also provided unprompted compassionate support and encouragement for many members of staff during this time which left them feeling listened to and valued. I would like this hard work and kindness to be recognised for how valuable it is to the department and the trust.
Pete Ball, Patient Flow Coordinator
Nominated by Louise Green, Early Intervention Team Lead
Pete has been part of the Early Intervention Team since it began last year. Through constant change/evolution he has remained positive and supported all his colleagues in, at times, very challenging circumstances. His knowledge around the complexities our patients can face when discharged along with his excellent MDT working (internally and with external partners) has benefited many. In the last 3 months he has seen over 200 patients and managed to avoid 52 admissions by supporting patients at the front door to connect with community services. He is an enthusiastic advocate for inclusion health groups and enhances patient and colleague experiences alike. His continual morale boosting attitude makes Pete a Southmead Hospital Hero.
Shelley Jordan, Clinical Matron CCS
Nominated by Claire Critchard & Carlie John, Outpatients Nursing Support Manager / IR Nursing Admin
Working with Shelley is an absolute joy! From her early days as the B7 Sister in IR to her current role as our Matron, she has always gone above and beyond for both teams. Her unwavering support and appreciation for us as admins shows her true passion for developing and encouraging our growth. Even now as our Matron, Shelley puts the team first and works tirelessly around the clock to ensure smooth operations and to make sure her staff feels valued. Her no-nonsense approach is refreshing, and her transparent communication makes her highly respected in both departments. Shelley truly embodies the core values of NBT, and we should take a moment to celebrate her greatness and recognize how much she means to us all. Thank you Shelley for all that you do and for being an amazing advocate for our team!
Joanne Mason, Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist
Nominated by Jess Davidson, Specialist Occupational Therapist
Joe has been an Occupational Therapist for over 40 years, and worked for the NHS on and off throughout this time. She has been in her current post at the Head Injury Therapy Unit for over 12 years. She is retiring in June and with her is taking a wealth of knowledge that will be deeply missed and will be such a loss to Occupational Therapy. She works so hard in her full time role, as well as managing a huge amount of responsibility at home such as looking after her mother, and more recently helping with raising her grandchildren also. Despite being busy outside of work, nothing is ever too much trouble at work and she is always so friendly and approachable, meaning nothing is too much trouble. HITU will be missing an integral member and will not feel the same once she leaves. Thanks for everything Joe, and we wish you the happiest of retirements, finally enjoying some 'you' time.
Lynsey Clarke, Consultant Rheumatologist and Specialty Lead
Nominated by Emily Rose-Parfitt, Consultant Pharmacist in Rheumatology
Dr Lynsey Clarke is the specialty lead of our rheumatology team. Every day she goes above and beyond to help us run and improve our service. In addition to her clinical role, Lynsey works with managers and stakeholders to ensure we are well represented. She is enthusiastic about driving service improvements for our patients and manages all service delivery issues as they arise. Her role has been met with many challenges, including staff absence and personal bereavement, yet she continues to work tirelessly to support our service. She is somewhat an unsung hero, as many members of the team have no idea how much she is doing behind the scenes to support the service. This is a credit to her no fuss, hardworking approach to her work, although sometimes she falls victim to her success when the rest of the team assume she will trouble shoot on our behalf! Above all, Lynsey cares about all the individuals in her team and takes time to regularly check in on a personal level to support the MDT and ensure everyone feels valued.
Grace VanDerMee, Lead Biomedical Scientist
Nominated by Claire Peaston, Biomedical Scientist
Haematology has been going through some massive cover the past few months with new analysers being installed, which has meant a lot of upheaval and changes to working practice. Grace has tried to make sure staff are aware of any changes and has communicated information in a way everyone understands. She is calm and knowledgeable. When we went live, Grace spent the weekend helping her staff in the lab, and being at the end of a phone when she finally went home. When there have been issues, even user error, she has been supportive and understanding with a definite no blame approach. Thank you from everyone in Haematology
George Price, Red Cross first call hospital co-coordinator for NBT
Nominated by Kerry Hunt, Physiotherapy
I am nominating George for an NBT hero award in recognition of his help to both staff and a particular patient. The physiotherapy team needed a patients specialist wheelchair to enable a timely assessment of transfers and facilitate early discharge planning. Unfortunately when the patient was admitted the wheelchair was not brought in and the patient had no family who could do this. With no other options, we decided to reach out to the red cross team (George). Our hope was to see if any options for wheelchair taxis or community teams who might be able to help. Instead of these options, George himself went and got the patients wheelchair within hours of our discussion, and even gave it a clean for good measure! He enabled us to get the patient back to their normal way of transferring and, ensured the patient could be a independent as possible in the ward environment thus promoting the enablement approach. This was all alongside medical investigations which as a direct result improved patient flow as no delays in assessment/discharge. Having the wheelchair meant the patient, who had no regular visitors, could get off the ward for fresh air, socialise with others/staff on the ward which wouldn’t have been so easy if he was dependent on borrowing equipment for short periods. It helped him retain his independence and prevent loneliness. As a physiotherapy team we wanted George to be recognised for his excellent model of the NBT CARES values and going above and beyond for both our patient and the physio team - thank you so much for giving your time George to support our patients and ward teams.
Patients Catering Team
Nominated by Paula Thornell, Food Production Manager
I am again nominating my team , as they work as a team so should be recognised as a team. They worked months with staff shortages and many equipment breakdowns (over 6 months ovens broken) They continued to work hard and produce meals and no patient went without. They produce over 3,000 meals a day and continue to do this through all the issues that we occur, be it staff shortages, broken equipment ,non stock items. They deserve to be recognised for all their hard work as a team.
Helen Merry, Hearing Practitioner
Nominated by Janette O'Neill, Matron
The dementia team would like to nominate Helen. She is very unassuming but makes a big impacts on the patients experience and care whilst in hospital. She is always calm and approachable, She is patient and kind and finds solutions to the patients hearing problems. Communication especially for those with cognitive impairment is essential to prevent isolation and provides Security, a sense of wellbeing and connection to the environment. Helen is dedicated and an expert in her field. As a team we have observe the difference that she makes to patients and families the additional time she will take to help a patient. she is always willing to share her knowledge with us.
Karen Mead, Specialist Practitioner of Transfusion
Nominated by Mooi Heong Tay, Transfusion Practitioner
Karen has been the sole Transfusion Practitioner for the Trust until I came along in 2019. She has been an indispensable member of staff in the Trust's Transfusion Team . She has supported staff in the Transfusion Laboratory as well as clinical, IM&T and Facility Management staff in many transfusion matters, services development. Many colleagues in other organisations from the satellite dialysis units, treatment centres, St. Peter's Hospice to the air ambulances have also benefited greatly from her support. With her wealth of knowledge of transfusion related legislation and national requirements, she has contributed immensely in keeping this organisation in the straight and narrow path, She is a very supportive manager and a role model. She is well respected in the Trust and regional transfusion circles. Her negotiation skills and ability to hold and drive a group of people towards a common goal was evident during the roll out of the electronic blood tracking system and many other undertakings. She always rose up to the leadership role in a timely manner to ensure that no project would be at risk of missing the brief.
Mariama Ceesay, Catering
Nominated by Emily Holloway, Internal Communications Manager
Mariama is always smiling! She is kind and friendly to everyone she meets, and to me personally, she has been so helpful when organising events in the Vu. She keeps calm, even at very busy times, and is always professional and caring. Mariama supports many staff across the Trust, is always respectful, and epitomises our Trust values - she is a true NBT Hero!