20 May 2010
A celebration of the hard work and commitment of all the nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants working at the Trust took place last week (12 May).
The Trust joined the celebrations as part of Nurses' Day, which is held in partnership with the Royal College of Nurses (RCN). The day is celebrated each year on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birthday.
With events taking place at both Epsom and St Helier hospitals, every member of nursing staff was invited to take some time out of their busy schedules to enjoy a free complementary therapy - such as a relaxing Indian head massage or foot massage. Representatives from the RCN were also on hand to give free advice at their information stand, and free refreshments and gifts were also available for staff.
The events culminated in an awards ceremony which saw A&E sister in Epsom Hospital, Tina Taylor, crowned as 'Nurse of the Year' and Katie Ewbank, a community midwife assistant based at St Helier Hospital, announced as 'Nursing Support Worker of the Year'.
Tina, who has been described as 'a shining emerald in the A&E department', was nominated for the leadership she gives to other nurses and for helping to further improve the dignity and respect offered to patients. Tina said: "I was so shocked, not only to be nominated for the award, but to win it. I was so chuffed though - it's really nice to have your work recognised and appreciated.
"Although I was singled out for an award, I wouldn't be able to do a good job if it wasn't for all of my colleagues working in the department. In A&E, it's all about the team effort - you have to be able to work well together and if that wasn't happening, we simply wouldn't be able to do what we do. We're a strong team and everyone's incredibly supportive."
Katie was nominated after receiving patients' praise for going above and beyond the call of duty in the way that she takes time to answer patients' questions, helping new mums to breastfeed and bathing new born babies. She said: "I was absolutely gobsmacked, just so surprised to win. I knew that I had been nominated but didn't think there was much chance of winning. It's really nice to get hard work recognised though! I love my job, and feel very passionate about it."
Samantha Jones is Trust Chief Executive and trained as a children's nurse. She said: "Quite simply, nurses, midwives and nursing support workers are the backbone of the NHS, and the services they provide in our hospitals make the Trust what it is today. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their hard work. They really are doing a fantastic job."
The runner-up prize for the 'Nurse of the Year' award went to Ganga Kachipati, a sister in the discharge lounge in St Helier Hospital. The runner up prize for 'Nursing Support Worker of the Year' went to Rosemary Grave, healthcare assistant at Epsom Hospital, for her caring and compassionate nursing.
