Nurse Jean wins national award

3 October 2018

A nurse from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has won a national award from charity the Cavell Trust.

Jean Medina, an Ophthalmic Nurse managing the urgent eye clinic and medical retina clinic at the hospital, was nominated by colleagues for going above and beyond for her patients.

With over 25 years’ experience working within Ophthalmology at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), Jean’s team felt her dedication was second to none.

Colleague and Staff Nurse Alexis Taylor said: “Sister Jean’s ability to triage and recognise when eye conditions require urgent attention has saved the sight of many people, and she has trained many staff to do the same.

“Her experience, knowledge and skill is so valuable to ensure that Ophthalmic Services continue to be delivered to a high standard. I know that due to her modest and humble nature, Sister Jean has not truly been recognised for her commitment and dedication so we are delighted to be able to present her with a Cavell Star Award.”

Nursing charity Cavell Nurses’ Trust launched the Cavell Star Awards in April. Nominations are being sought from nursing teams throughout the UK for that special team mate who has shown exceptional care for either their colleagues or their patients and patients’ families. Each Cavell Star Award winner receives a medal, presentation case and pin badge as well as an invite to attend the special Care & Cake Garden Party in June, a celebration of the nation’s nursing professionals.

Jean said: “I was very shocked at being nominated and winning a Cavell Star Award. Over the years I’ve tried to carry out my role as an Ophthalmic Nurse to the best of my ability and I didn’t expect to win an award but it was a nice surprise. Very often you don’t think that anybody sees or appreciates your work so it’s nice to be recognised.

“Having the support of my work colleagues has helped me throughout my career and I’ve always found working as a team is important in achieving our goals and improving patient services.”

The Cavell Star Awards are in partnership with LloydsPharmacy Clinical Homecare and sponsored by NEXT, UNISON, NHS Improvement, National Garden Scheme, Health Education England, NHS Professionals, Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, Alexandra, British Journal of Nursing, The Embassy of Belgium in the UK and Thornbury Nursing Services & Scottish Nursing Guild.

Cavell Nurses’ Trust is the charity that supports UK nurses, midwives and HCAs, both working and retired, when they’re suffering personal or financial hardship often due to illness, disability, older age and domestic abuse. In 2017, the charity received more than 2,200 calls for help.

Healthcare professionals wishing to nominate a nurse, midwife or HCA for a Cavell Star Award can find out more at www.cavellstarawards.org.