The outstanding care provided by nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and allied health professionals from Andover and across Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was celebrated at the annual Director of Nursing Awards recently.
Caring staff from across the trust attended the awards ceremony at Froyle Park, Alton, where they were joined by many of the people who had nominated them.
A record 480 nominations flooded in from relatives and former patients who had received treatment in the community or at one of the trust’s three hospitals:
- Andover War Memorial Hospital
- Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
- Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester
The nursing team from St Cross Ward, at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, and community midwife Alice Gynn were the big winners on the night, taking home two awards each.
Alice, who won the individual award for Family and Clinical Support Services as well as a Basingstoke Rotary award, was nominated for the work she did to support a mum throughout her pregnancy, including delivering her baby at home.
“Alice did a fantastic job of raising my spirits and keeping me positive when I was feeling pretty gloomy,” the nomination read.
She always made me feel important without being a burden. She went a long way above and beyond, vastly exceeding my expectations, and I will always be grateful to her.”
Alice said: “I was surprised and very honoured to win one award. To win two is incredible and I’d like to say a big thank you to the lady who nominated me.”
“Looking after the lady who nominated me was a fantastic experience for me. I really enjoyed it and it is something that I’ll never forget.”
The nursing team on St Cross Ward picked up the Surgical Services team award as well as a Winchester Rotary award after being nominated an amazing 39 times.
Sarah Gold, clinical matron on St Cross Ward, said: “We all feel absolutely amazing and we weren’t expecting this at all. I’m very proud of my fantastic team, whose primary focus is care, compassion and quality every single day.”
“Getting so many nominations means so much to us all because they come from our patients. For them to take the time to nominate us for these awards is amazing.”
Other winners included staff nurse Elsa Jose and healthcare assistant Phillip O’Hagan, who were joint winners of the The Wallace Award for the work they did to help the family of a terminally ill patient, and Cheryl Bond, who won the Chief Medical Officer’s Award for the compassion she showed when caring for a woman with a phobia of hospitals.
Chief nurse and deputy chief executive Donna Green hosted the ceremony, which was also attended by the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, the Mayor of Winchester, the Mayor of Test Valley and the Rotary Clubs of Andover, Basingstoke Deane and Winchester.
The guest speakers were mental health campaigners Jonny Benjamin MBE and Neil Laybourn.
Donna said “A lot of you may say that you haven’t done anything special, but what you do every day is amazing. To me, you are all winners and I am the proudest chief nurse in the country because of the fantastic work you all do.”
Jonny added “Thank you for what you do and the difference you make. You don’t realise the difference you make, but you really do have a big impact on your patients.”
Roll of honour
Medical Services
Individual – Rahul Chanan, Ward E2, Basingstoke
Team – Isolation Ward Nursing Team, Basingstoke
Surgical Services
Individual – Diane Mitchell, Basing Unit, Basingstoke
Team – St Cross Ward Nursing Team, Winchester
Family and Clinical Support Services
Individual – Alice Gynn, Community Midwife
Team – Candover Nursing Team, Basingstoke
Allied Health Professionals
Sarah Bridger, Ruth Dingley and Roberto Villela, Radiology, Winchester
Andover Rotary
Kingfisher Ward Nursing Team, Andover
Basingstoke Rotary
Individual – Alice Gynn, Community Midwife
Team – Child Health Nursing Team, Basingstoke
Winchester Rotary
Individual – Asya Sandiford, McGill Acute Medical Unit, Winchester
Team – St Cross Ward Nursing Team, Winchester
Wallace Award
Individual – Elsa Jose and Philip O’Hagan, Ward E2, Basingstoke
Team – Shawford Ward Nursing Team, Winchester
Chief Medical Officer’s Award
Cheryl Bond, Orthopaedic Pre-Assessment Unit, Basingstoke
