Student nurse who showed incredible kindness gets Alison Statham award
A University of Derby student who showed incredible kindness when working with a young patient with learning Disabilities, has been awarded a prestigious accolade in memory of UHDB colleague Alison Statham.
The award, which is named after the late Alison Statham, a Sister in the Trust’s Maxillofacial department, recognises the outstanding contribution of student nurses who have demonstrated Alison’s commitment, compassion, care and courage in the work they carry out every day.
This year, the accolade has gone to University of Derby student nurse Holly Chamberlain.
Barbara Day, Head of Learning and Education, said the award holds a lot of history for the Trust and it is great to have clinical areas nominate students who go above and beyond.
Barbara said: “Holly’s nomination was wonderful and centred on a placement Holly undertook this year with the safeguarding and vulnerable team in which they said she made an enormous impact.
“Holly is a commendable student with a great desire to learn and develop, her attitude is always positive and engaging, she has great communication skills and is always keen to get involved in conversation about cases.
“It is because of Holly’s kind and caring nature that she will go far in her career as a children’s nurse.”
Holly was nominated for the award by Jane Gregory, Senior Sister for the Vulnerable People's Team, she said that while working with the team Holly showed great potential and stood out when she supported a young man with learning Disabilities.
Jane said: "The patient came into hospital due to a sudden change in presentation and was deemed to be displaying challenging behaviour but Holly took the time to gain his confidence, assess his needs and cater to those with skills expected from someone with several years post-registration experience.
"I am sure that Holly's involvement helped towards an earlier discharge for that patient and not only did you share your knowledge and skills with the whole team but you also got on stage and shared your experiences with a crowd at a VPA day event.
“You are an exemplary student and I'm absolutely confident that you will make many more positive changes to the people you care for throughout your career.”
Robin Thorpe, Principal Maxillofacial Prosthetist, worked with Alison Statham before she passed away and said it was a privilege to give Holly the award for reflecting the values Alison held.
He said: “I work in the head and neck unit where Alison worked. I know exactly what she meant to us as a nursing sister in the department and when I read Holly’s nomination the first thing I thought of was Alison. The whole team in the Maxillofacial Unit said “that is Alison” they all felt the same, and those who knew her said that Holly’s nomination really summed up Alison’s commitment, compassion and care as a nurse.
“The nomination completely hit the nail on the head and shows that Holly has demonstrated exactly what this award is about – going above and beyond.”
Holly, who is in her second year of her course, said she was delighted to win the award.
She said: “It is so nice to hear such kind words about something I am so passionate about. Being on placement has opened my eyes to lots of things and I definitely know Disabilities is where I want to be. I spent hours reading Hospital Dog by Julia Donaldson to the patient and its moments like that which are so special. While it’s nice to hear that the team learned from me I feel like working as part of that team gave me so much and showed me a glimpse of my future in this career.”
Please note: Photograph was taken before the most recent changes to mask guidance.