|
Celebrating Staff Success |
|
Written by Head of Communications
|
Our staff award winners with Fred Lee (bottom centre right) American patient experience guru and author of the acclaimed book 'If Disney ran your hospital 9 1/2 things you would do differently', and Chairman Aileen McLeish (bottom right).
On the evening of 29th March 2011, Ashford and St Peter’s celebrated their annual staff awards at the Royal Holloway University, and were joined by internationally acclaimed patient experience guru Fred Lee from America, author of the book ‘If Disney ran your hospital, 9 ½ things you would do differently’.
Over 200 members of staff were invited to the ceremony, held in the University’s impressive auditorium and all staff who were nominated were invited to join the celebration. Fred Lee, who presented the awards and had flown in especially from Holland, gave a very warm thank you and described how impressed he was by all the winners and nominees that he met. (Earlier in the day he had addressed around 200 members of hospital staff in a patient experience masterclass as part of the Trust’s internal leadership programme.)
Staff are nominated for the awards by their peers in four main categories; putting patients first; taking personal responsibility; having a passion for excellence; and taking pride in their team. In addition, the Trust gives a special award to the Volunteer of the Year, a further celebration and thank you to the 350 + volunteers who freely give their time to help hospital staff.
Nominations for the awards were made for staff working across a wide range of disciplines within the Trust, showcasing the many and varied departments that make up a busy general hospital. Star prize(s) – putting Patients First and nominated Employees of the Year – went to Specialist Stroke Nurse Claire Barrett who lives in Epsom, and Joann Simpson, Superintendent for Nuclear Medicine, from Feltham. Said Claire: “Of course I am thrilled to have won, it’s a great honour. But although it’s my name on the award, I feel this is a recognition of the whole stroke nursing team. We’re very proud of our service and it’s a real team approach.”
Claire has been described as an ‘excellent role model, and passionate about her patients’ and has been part of the driving force behind extending and developing the specialist stroke nurse service at the Trust. She often works well beyond her hours to make sure patients who come into hospital after having a stroke have the very best care. Joann expressed her delight at being joint winner: “I am very shocked and honoured to have won this award. I have worked for the Trust for 18 years. I came to manage this team two years ago and since the installment of two Gamma cameras by the Trust, the variety and volume of work we achieve is now recognised by other Trusts. It is good for the reputation of the Trust.”
Joann’s nomination was made in recognition of her commitment to her patients, making sure they are comfortable while they are in hospital waiting for their tests and scans, and working beyond her hours to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Team of the Year went to the Trust’s Cytology team, who have dramatically cut the waiting times for cervical smear test results to just 14 days, which is one of the best response times in the country. Ace Thindal (from Chertsey), one of the Trust’s IT trainers won the Passion for Excellence award, and is described as ‘an outstanding member of staff and a natural teacher’. The runner up category was Charlene Taylor (also from Chertsey), Deputy Sister on the Medical High Dependency Unit at St Peter’s. Charlene was nominated for her commitment to staff development and the hard work she puts in mentoring new nurses and helping them expand their skills and knowledge of critical care.
Healthcare Assistant on Chaucer Ward (stroke rehabilitation) at Ashford Hospital, Bella Beech from Staines, won the Personal Responsibility category. Bella has worked at Ashford Hospital for 30 years and gives so much to patients on the ward, including support and fundraising for the Ashford Stroke Klub which supports patients after they have left hospital. Sue Cook (from St John’s in Woking), the Sister in Critical Care at St Peter’s was the runner-up. Sue has worked for the Trust for more than 40 years, starting as a student nurse, and is very proud that in all that time she has never taken a day off sick. Sue spends a great deal of time ensuring that the unit runs smoothly and that her patients receive the highest standard of care.
Trust Chairman, Aileen McLeish, spoke with pride about the work of staff across the two hospitals: “I have been so impressed with all the nominations tonight and of the real dedication our staff give to our patients every day. This evening has been an opportunity for us to say a big thank you to all our staff and those nominated tonight are representative of the commitment made by so many. In our recent staff survey, we were amongst the top Trusts in the country where staff said they would recommend their hospital as a place to work and to receive care. That’s a real indicator of how proud our staff are to work here and which of course translates into better patient care. Ashford and St Peter’s has a lot to be proud of.”
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 October 2011 08:43 )
|
