Showing our esteem

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They are flooding in! Thank you, nominators, for finding a moment to recognise colleagues for their achievement. Keep them coming.  To find out more go to our ESTEEM gallery

No less than six nominations for the operating department practitioners at London NHS Nightingale, a group of strangers who came together into a new role, on a new site and supported the set-up of the hospital. They worked in resuscitation, intubation, CT and dialysis, transfer teams as well as training ITU nurses on the anaesthetic machines and much else.

Mary-Anne Thompson, ODP at the London Clinic, asks: ‘Who has heard of ODPs? – practically no-one! ODPs became a central part of the ITU team at NHS Nightingale – and intensive care doctors and nurses know now exactly who ODPs are and what they do.’

Three nominations came in for the healthcare scientists at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust. Kimberly Gilmour, head of clinical service, and the immunology team have worked exceptionally hard to develop a COVID-19 serology service, both as a research study to help improve knowledge of the virus but also as a wellbeing service for staff.

Kathryn, Julianne, Laura, Divya and Jack have put a phenomenal amount of work into developing the COVID-19 testing laboratory.  They were able rapidly to set up the SARS-CoV-2 PCR assay and offer a screening service to NHS staff. Laura and Divya took the lead in training scientist volunteers to support the service.

Tanja Rockenbach, virology laboratory manager, and the team rapidly researched PCR based tests and validated both a rapid test as well as incorporating the COVID PCR into the routine respiratory panel. All these healthcare scientists demonstrated expertise, team working and outstanding dedication to ensure children were rapidly diagnosed and treated.

Sarah Lewis Simms, deputy head occupational therapist, Cwm Taf Morgannwg, brought together occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, speech and language therapy and dietetics in response to COVID-19, breaking down traditional barriers. The rapidly-created Community Therapy Hub helps people with swallowing or communication difficulties, high risk malnutrition, foot infections and vascular crisis and those with difficulties maintaining independence.

Two nominations from Elan Tsarfati, consultant microbiologist in NHS Forth Valley.  Elizabeth Kilgour, microbiology laboratory manager and her team: ‘What a team! We salute them for their professionalism which shines brightly, every day. We’re endlessly impressed by their energy and enthusiasm in all that they do.’  And Gillian Lowe and her team, outstanding biomedical scientists in haematology, clinical chemistry and blood transfusion who adapted their 24/7 working patterns to meet clinical demand and maintain social distancing in the lab.

Physiotherapists at Betsi Cadwaladr have risen to the challenge. Kimberly Mather has taken on many responsibilities without any hesitation, including all the fit mask testing. She is the only Band 5 to lead one of the 24-hour proning teams, guiding and reassuring those who have been redeployed. Amy Charnock, clinical specialist respiratory physiotherapist, and the Physio Proning Team provide a 24-hour service, many redeployed from other specialties and with amazing feedback from patients and the critical care team.

David Hughes, clinical lead AHP, and his team of AHPs and healthcare scientists at Swansea Bay have put into action a 24/7 Verification of Death Service using the Board’s Care After Death Pathway. They have ensured timely VoD, certification, arrangement of funeral director/mortuary services and remote registration, and provided emotional support, mostly in care homes.

Amy Greaves, physiotherapist, Royal United Hospital Bath left her musculoskeletal physiotherapy to support the respiratory and intensive care teams, leading a multidisciplinary proning team. She’s always positive and motivating for her colleagues and towards her patients.

Neil Langridge, consultant physiotherapist in Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, is using his experience of redeploying the MSK team during the crisis to look at how services could be remodelled in the future. His person-centred approach enabled staff to feel safe and well supported during their redeployment, and enabled community services to continue to care for patients.

Karen Ritchie, senior biomedical scientist in NHS Fife has worked tirelessly to help her colleagues and to enhance the diagnostic laboratory service, volunteering to help cover shifts and provide support in the Core Lab. A team effort, but Karen has done much of the groundwork often working in her own time to minimise disruption to the department’s routine work.

If you would like to nominate a colleague or your team, go to https://ahawards,co,uk/esteem/


 

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