Left to right Nurse of the Year Matron Maria Paterson, Nursing Support Workers of the Year, healthcare assistants Julia Kitchener and Jeanette Smith, and Nursing Support Worker of the Year runner-up Tracy Weekes.
31 May 2011
A long-serving matron at Epsom Hospital has been crowned Nurse of the Year at a special ceremony.
Maria Paterson, matron for specialty medicine (which includes stroke, respiratory (chest) and cardiology (heart) care) at the hospital, picked up the award at a celebration to mark International Nurses' Day on 12 May. The celebration formed part of a day of activities at Epsom and St Helier hospitals to coincide with Florence Nightingale's birthday.
Presenting the award, Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive, said: "Maria is a long-serving, dedicated and committed matron, who is well-known and respected by her colleagues. I am very proud of the exceptional contribution she makes to constantly improving the care given to our patients."
Receiving the award, Maria, who has worked in the NHS for 35 years and at Epsom and St Helier hospitals for 26, said: "Nursing is everything I've ever wanted to do. I tried to retire once, but missed it so much I came back. For me, nursing is all about getting the basics absolutely right. It's about making sure every patient is safe, well cared-for, well nourished, and understands their care.
Chief Executive Matthew Hopkins with Nursing Support Workers of the Year Julia Kitchener (left) and Jeanette Smith.
"I always try to make sure I speak to other people as I'd like to be spoken to, that I treat patients as if they were a member of my family, and that I lead by example."
Matthew, who spent 15 years in nursing roles before entering management, added: "I understand that nursing our patients, and ensuring they receive the best possible care, is a 24-hour-a-day job: to a dedicated nurse, it doesn't matter whether it is one o'clock in the afternoon, or one o'clock in the morning."
Also recognised at the awards were the Nursing Support Workers of the Year. This award was presented to the 12-strong healthcare assistant team on ward B5: a dedicated 'care of the elderly' ward at St Helier Hospital.
The team on B5 were nominated for the work they have done around making sure patients receive the best possible nutrition whilst they are in hospital.
Matthew added: "The team of healthcare assistants on B5 are exceptional - they go above and beyond the call of duty every day to make sure patients receive the best possible care.
The team cut a special celebratory Florence Nightingale cake.
Pippa Hart, Director of Nursing, said: "I am exceptionally proud of all of our nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants who work so hard to ensure our patients receive the best possible care."
The runner-up for Nurse of the Year was Tracy Weekes, a junior sister at Sutton Hospital, and the runner-up for Nursing Support Worker of the Year was Fiona Herbert, healthcare assistant on the neonatal unit at St Helier Hospital.
