A G E N D A 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Ian Metcalfe 2 ...

NHS Winter Heroes recognisedFour members of staff and a wholeward team were named NHS WinterHeroes in April. Staff were nominatedby patients and their families or theirwork colleagues, for the differencethey make to the lives of patients intheir care.The scheme focused on the smallthings that make a huge differencesuch as a hand to hold, or ashoulder to lean on, recognisingwhat NHS Heroes do to make sureevery patient receives the best care.A presentation event took place onTuesday 30 April, where the Heroesenjoyed afternoon tea with theirrelatives and friends and were joinedby their patients and colleagues whohad nominated them for the award.Tony Spotswood, Chief Executive,and Jane Stichbury, Chairman,presented certificates at theceremony.Jane said: “As a Trust, we wantto ensure that patients are ournumber one priority and are at theheart of what we do. Patientsatisfaction doesn’t come byaccident; it is something that theTrust achieves through the hardwork, excellence and commitmentthat staff put in on a daily basis. Weare delighted to celebrate the storiesbehind the nominations and thankthose patients and relatives whoshared their experiences with us.“We would also like to extend thanksto the partners, family and friends ofall our staff, because there are oftenlong hours worked and having asupportive and understandingnetwork around them makes a hugedifference.”The RBCH NHS Winter Heroes are:Clare Bent, ConsultantRadiologistClare was nominated by a patient,who said: “I have had three lots oflung cancer in a year. After goingthrough two operations, Clare dida radiofrequency ablation (RFA)procedure on me which was far lessinvasive. She was there for me everystep of the way, she even came todo my procedure on her day off -that’s dedication and care I havenever seen before and I could neverthank her enough.”Marcus Blake, OrthopaedicTechnicianMarcus was commended for hisfriendly and kind manner. “Marcushas always gone that extra mile,showing genuine concern for mywellbeing and giving his all to easemy distress. When a recent surgeryhad complications and I requiredconstant changes of casts, he satand held my hand through manytimes of tears. Marcus hasexcellent listening skills and tooktime to show empathy for myhusband and this touched us bothdeeply. For me, Marcus is my NHShero as he epitomises everythingthat patient care is about.”Ciaran Dunne, ConsultantRheumatologistCiaran was praised for his highquality of care and attention to hispatients, helping them get back ontheir feet and improving theirquality of life: “Dr Dunne saw thingsthat no other saw I am now fit andwell. He is a true hero.”Jenny House, Senior Nurseof OrthopaedicsA colleague nominated Jenny,saying: “Our Trust has experienceda challenging winter withemergency admissions. As SeniorNurse of Orthopaedics, Jenny hasbeen instrumental in creating extramedical capacity on our wards.A human dynamo of energy andenthusiasm, her personalcontribution has been immense.Her outstanding leadership skillsand exemplary approach get themost out of her colleagues.Completely focused on providingthe best she can for patients, Jennypersonifies all that is good about theNHS. She is a delight and aninspiration to work with and I amproud to call her a friend.”Ward 9A relative of a patient said thefollowing of the Ward 9 team:“My father has had some seriousmedical problems after a hipreplacement operation and all thestaff including day staff, night staffand student nurses have been sodedicated and considerate whilelooking after him. They haveattended to his every need, spendinghours with him helping him to regainhis strength as well as explainingeverything in detail so that he wouldunderstand what was happening tohim. Thank you all from both of us.”