Celebrating our fantastic colleagues

16 September 2019

A hospital porter who helped save the life of a baby and teams who have improved care for patients with dementia, sepsis and heart conditions were among those honoured at an awards ceremony held by SaTH.

The Values in Practice (VIP) Awards are held annually to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of staff to deliver high quality care to patients.

A record number of nearly 800 submissions were received for dedicated teams and individuals who work at RSH and PRH who have gone above and beyond over the last 12 months. The winners were announced at a ceremony at the Telford International Centre on Friday (12 September).

Winners included Chargehand Porter, Nick Evans, who used CPR skills and training to save the life of a hospital visitor’s seven-week-old baby. The baby had stopped breathing so Nick started CPR outside the hospital entrance and ran to A&E where medics took over.

The Team of the Year Award went to SaTH’s Dementia Team. Karen Breese and her team aim to ensure that every aspect of patients’ lives are fulfilled and that everyone understands there is a person behind the disease. All of the team participate in regular out-of-work activities to promote awareness of dementia and have raised significant amounts of money to improve care.

Improvement of the Year went to the Heart Assessment Team which, during the summer of 2018, launched a pilot scheme to improve SaTH’s Heart Failure Service. The team identified a space at the end of Ward 6 at PRH and now see an additional 34 patients a month which, in many cases, has prevented unnecessary admission into hospital.

The prestigious VIP Award, which is chosen from the Monthly VIP Award winners throughout the year, went to the Critical Care Outreach Team. The team has done an outstanding job in raising awareness of sepsis – and were presented with their award on Friday, which was also World Sepsis Day.

Paula Clark, Chief Executive, said: “All of the nominations were outstanding and thoroughly deserving of recognition. Our teams go above and beyond to make a difference each and every day – and for that we should thank them.”

Other winners in the VIP Awards were:

Behind the Scenes Award: Mary Beales, Education. Mary leads the Trust’s Education Team. She was instrumental in getting the Copthorne training centre up and running so that staff could ensure their training is kept up-to-date.

Inspirational Leader of the Year Award: Hannah O’Mahoney Magee, ITU/HDU. Hannah’s dedication to patient experience, excellent care and high standards is exemplary, and her passion for Critical Care shines each day. She is a strong advocate for her team and is a reliable and approachable ward manager. She is a key player in the Trust’s cross-site working initiative and always ensures equality on both sites.

Rising Star of the Year Award: Emma Kay, Radiotherapy. Emma has worked tirelessly to enhance and improve the patient experience for the Trust’s gynaecology patients in Radiotherapy. In order for patients to receive the best possible care, Emma has completely redesigned the pathway, forging links with Stoke and Wolverhampton radiotherapy departments.

Learner of the Year Award: Charlotte Deakin, Orthoptist. Charlotte recently received her Master’s Degree and is putting this learning into practice within the department, especially for children with literacy difficulties. She has stepped up as Acting Lead Orthoptist whilst a colleague has been on maternity leave, and has supported a newly-qualified Orthoptist who has joined the team, as well as students who have attended the department as part of their training.

Volunteer of the Year Award: Roger Turner. Roger has been instrumental in helping Radiotherapy create patient information films. He has spent many hours on this project over the years and his commitment to improving the cancer patient’s journey has been amazing.