NHS England’s Chief Nursing Officer, Ruth May, surprised a group of nurses at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust when she announced they were all winners of special awards for nurses who go ‘above and beyond’.
The Chief Nursing and Chief Midwifery Officer awards were developed to reward the significant and outstanding contribution made by nurses and midwives in England and their exceptional contribution to nursing and midwifery practice.
There are two categories: the Gold Award which recognises lifetime achievements and the Silver Award which acknowledges major contributions to patients and the profession.
Bradford’s nurses picked up not one, but two Gold awards!
Proud
Karen Dawber, the Trust’s Chief Nurse, said: “I am extremely proud of all our winners on this amazing achievement. I want to thank them for the outstanding care they give to our patients and the support they give to our colleagues.”
Director of Nursing and former Deputy Chief Nurse, Sally Scales (pictured), picked up a Gold Award for outstanding achievements, and performance. The accolade recognised her exceptional contribution throughout her distinguished career in nursing.
Karen added: “Sally is selfless, putting both the patient and the organisation above her own needs on many occasions.”
Another Gold Award was awarded posthumously to former Surgical Sister, Raquel Policarpio, 51, who sadly died in June 2020, the same month that she retired, following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Raquel’s nomination cited her dedication to nursing and her patients here in Bradford over the 18 years she was with the Trust. Raquel, who was originally from the Philippines, loved being part of the Bradford Royal Infirmary team.
The Trust also picked up Chief Nurse’s Silver awards which recognise performance that goes above and beyond the expectations of the nurse or midwife’s everyday role.
The Silver Award winners were:
Associate Chief Nurse, Sue Franklin, who had only retired three weeks when the pandemic hit. Sue immediately returned to work full-time, helping the Trust to set up the PPE Hub providing advice and reassurance to colleagues in relation to PPE.
Senior Sister, Toseka Naqvi, was nominated for her exceptional and accomplished leadership of the Urology ward. When the pandemic hit and all routine surgery was postponed, wards were re-purposed and Toseka’s team was required to retrain to work in ICU as part of the initial response, with the longer term goal of her ward reopening as an additional ICU.
Senior Sister, Emma Barnes, was nominated for her unstinting leadership of Ward 31, the Trust’s respiratory ward.
Elderly Care Senior Sister, Naomi Pollard, received a Silver Award for her outstanding leadership of her colleagues and elderly care patients, which often included hand-holding our end-of-life patients and supporting staff compassionately.
The Paediatric Sisters’ team of Natalie Stephenson, Clare Hall, Emma Morrison, Laura Deery and Michelle Wilson were singled out for not only their performance in their own demanding jobs as sisters on an acute paediatric ward, but also going above and beyond to support the wider Trust, patients and the local community in facilitating end of life visiting for patients on ICU.
Education Manager for Patient Safety Training and former ICU nurse, Rachel Hodgson, won silver for her high performing contribution in helping provide excellent, multidisciplinary education and training through the COVID-19 pandemic. Her role in helping upskill more than 100 non-ICU nurses, to work alongside experienced and trained critical care nurses, was singled out for special mention.
Assistant Chief Nurse for Vulnerable Adults, Sarah Turner, has ensured that patients with learning disabilities and mental health conditions have a voice and a platform ensuring that all of their needs are met when being treated in hospital.
ICU Practice and Professional Development Nurse, Stephen Anderson, who, despite having to shield during the pandemic, continued to be fully involved in supporting colleagues’ wellbeing, as well as providing individual pastoral advice and group support to students who volunteered to return for paid placements as part of the NHS response to COVID-19.
ENDS