Shortlisted entries in the Unsung Hero – Clinical category are:
Nicola Wakefield, Senior Occupational Therapy Assistant, Lincoln
Nicola was described in her nomination as the most conscientious, hard-working and caring person. She always does her absolute best for every patient and takes time to make sure that every action is completed. She is described as a friend to everyone who contributes daily to the wellbeing of the team. She makes everyone feel welcome and part of the team. She is the one who knows when everyone’s birthdays are, she takes the time to talk to everyone and notices if someone is having a difficult day. She is an extremely special person and has made such huge difference to so many staff and patients in her 40 years of NHS service.
Abigail Coates, Operating Department Practitioner, Lincoln
Abigail was nominated by a patient after they came into hospital to have their baby boy. The patient describes coming into hospital and being greeted by Abi and instantly feeling calmed. She took the most amazing photos which will be cherished for life, held the lady’s hand throughout it all and supported her and her partner.
She was also nominated by a colleague who described her as having fought many personal battles throughout COVID. Her compassion towards her colleagues is commendable; she created positivity boards to help instil some brightness on the dark shifts, to help remind the team to smile and find the positives. Abi also created self-care hampers for her colleagues to help provide them with some relaxation time when they could find a few minutes break from work, or wind down at home after a shift, as well as many other things to help her colleagues out. She picked up extra shifts to support not only her own team, but also within ITU, working within the COVID vaccine hub and also going on to work within the new intensive care transport team that was set up for COVID patients.
Yvonne McGrath, Consultant Midwife, Lincoln
Yvonne started with ULHT as our first Consultant Midwife around three years ago, and since this time has developed so many incredible new ways of working. One of the things that Yvonne does is support women if they wish to receive care that is outside the guidelines that we recommend. This is a huge task, and involves counselling women about the current evidence and recommendations, and developing a care plan with women who often have strong views on how they wish for their care to be provided. Often, the women who access the service with Yvonne have had previous traumatic experiences, and Yvonne is there to support them to understand their previous experiences and have some closure on traumatic events. Yvonne has also been the lead in facilitating changes to care, including clinics to support women who have a fear of childbirth, developing new guidelines and tools.
Barbara Bambro, Lung Cancer Care Coordinator, Lincoln
During the COVID pandemic, there was a large amount of absence in the lung cancer service, and Barbara was nominated for an award for covering the whole service alone. She tried so hard to do everything she could for her potential/confirmed lung cancer patients and was there to provide care, compassion and support throughout. The nomination describes Barbara as being a lifeline for a lot patients accessing the lung cancer service.