This award is an opportunity for patients, families, visitors and Trust colleagues to say ‘thank you – you made a difference’ to a member of staff or a team for anything (however small!) that helped make their experience of our services better.

The winner for February is:

Kerry Machin, Lead Administrator in the GP Out of Hours Service, Peterborough
Kerry was nominated by Tracey Cooper for the massive difference she has made to the service. Kerry has gone above and beyond to ensure that each shift in the GP Out Of Hours service is fully staffed. She has tirelessly contacted GP’s, agencies and Trust staff in order to secure shift cover. Her role has become increasingly challenging due to the alternative options open to the GP’s to work for other projects in the Peterborough locality.

Kerry has herself covered many reception shifts especially in the last month due to a vacancy in the service. She uses her own initiative and proposes different ways for the service to cover the clinical shifts. She then progresses these suggestions and works hard to fill the gaps. The recent CQC inspection also created a number of actions which Kerry has taken forward and actioned which have been above and beyond her usual remit. She has done this without hesitation and with much determination! Kerry has shown great dedication to the service.

Congratulations to Kerry.

Other nominations this month were:

Margaret Fitzgerald, Senior Drug Worker, Luton Drug Service
Margaret was nominated by Alan Oakham for working closely with the hospital team in relation to one of patients.  She has taken the time to visit the client; and has accompanied the client's elderly mother to visit her son, as she has difficulty in being able to get to the hospital herself due to limited funds/transport. Margaret has taken time above and beyond her role to provide emotional and practical support to her client's mother at what is, a very difficult time.

Luton CaSH Service, Wigmore Lane Health Centre, Luton
The Luton Contraception and Sexual Health team have delivered high quality care and innovative contraception and sexual health services across the community of Luton for a significant number of years.

The team has become the trusted service of choice for many people, when addressing their contraception and sexual health needs. This is evident in the number of patients who have continued to choose to access this particular service. Unfortunately this team will be leaving CCS at the end of March 2016.

The hard work, dedication, commitment, tenacity and general feeling of enjoyment that this team brings to their day to day work are remarkable. Joanne Radnor said “This team has been like a family to work with, and while we have encountered a number of obstacles and challenges along the way, this team always has the interests of their patients as their prime concern and at the heart of all they do.”

This staff team is made up of highly qualified and skilled individuals, who will continue to provide a valuable service to the Luton community with their new employers. However, it is fair to acknowledge that the iCaSH Services and CCS as a whole, are very sad that this team are not able to remain a part of our organisation and future vision.

Vancouver, Nar and Coast Health Visiting Team and their team leader, West Norfolk Locality
The North Lynn (signpost) team are currently going through a period of reduced staffing due to maternity leave, vacancies and unexpected family illness. Lucy Jones nominated the Vancouver, Nar and Coast Health Visiting team to say a warm thank you for volunteering to work extra shifts and offered to undertake visits to support them to ensure that their clients needs continued to be met. It has not just been the offers of help but the warm spirit and caring attitude in which these offers have been made. Nothing has been too much trouble and for this and the North Lynn team would like to express our gratitude.

Great Yarmouth School Nurse Team, Great Yarmouth Locality - Norfolk Healthy Child Programme
Marie Balfour nominated her team for their commitment, outstanding team work and resilience they have shown over the last nine months since she has worked with them. This team have not only been transferred to a new employer once, but twice in this time period, and they have also had to move location. Despite this they have consistently worked together to ensure that service delivery hasn’t been compromised and embraced with exceptional positivity ongoing changes to improve the care they give further as part of the service redesign of the Norfolk Healthy Child Programme. Marie said “I have been consistently amazed at how at times of increased service demand, particularly in relation to our safeguarding work, they have pulled together to get the job done”.

Well done to everyone who was nominated this month!