Making a Difference - Award Winners

The mother of premature twins has reunited with the “amazing” NHS staff to give them a heartfelt thank you for their care they provided to her precious babies whilst in hospital.

Alison and Jon Elliott, from Alestree, welcomed their twins, Hamish and Hattie, into the world 10 weeks earlier than expected, on 16 May 2020, after Alison had been quite ill in pregnancy with gallstones and pancreatitis.

Due to their prematurity, the twins spent the first part of their lives in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Alison, who also works at Royal Derby Hospital as a Data Quality Officer, said: “Unfortunately, exactly a week after having my babies, I had another pancreatic attack and was admitted to hospital myself.  To begin with, I was able to come down and see them, but then I got sepsis and was too ill.  In this time, the nurses would come to my ward and deliver get well cards from my babies, with photos and footprints and they would me write letters from them.  To me, this was above and beyond their role, it meant the world to me, when I couldn’t be with them.”

Once Alison had her gallbladder removed and built up her strength again, their daughter, Hattie, heartbreakingly died at just 4 weeks old from sepsis.

Alison said, “The staff kept us in the loop through the whole process, but we got the dreaded call at 11pm that we needed to come to the hospital.  They worked so hard to save her, but sadly there was nothing they could do.  They did bring my son down in his cot, from the nursery, just before Hattie passed, so I could hold my babies hands at the same time and we were all together – I cannot tell how much I will treasure that moment. 

“The staff thought of everything, even though I know they found the situation upsetting themselves.  They let me hold my daughter for her last breaths and then gave us a camera, so we could capture every moment – which was the best idea, but something I would never have thought of.   One nurse – Louise, even held my hand whilst I called my mum to tell her what happened.

“We were given a room, where my husband, son, daughter and I could be together – which was amazing.  They showed us how to bathe our daughter and help us pick out an outfit for her.  We even got a lock of her hair to take home with us.  The following day, they allowed our parents to visit so they could meet their granddaughter for the first and last time.

“When it was time to say goodbye, Hattie’s nurses came to say their goodbyes, which was so thoughtful, they even let us walk Hattie in a pram to the mortuary – which meant everything to us – especially my husband.”

Alison and her son, Hamish, joined Phil Bolton, Director of Nursing to present the NICU team with a Team UHDB Making a Difference Award to thank them for the support they had provided herself and her family with.

Phil said: “The wrap around care that the NICU team has provided at the time, since and ongoing, really is outstanding and you should be really proud – you’re a fantastic team providing exceptional care to families.”

Karen Sampson, NICU Senior Sister, said: “It’s always such a privilege to be able to support a family in this way. Our NICU was the only home that Hattie had ever known, and it was an honour, despite the covid restrictions, to be able to support this family on their journey.”

Upon presenting the award to the team, Alison said: “I truly believe the staff of NICU are amazing – they would always say they were just doing their job, but in a pandemic when you can’t have your family around you, they were everything – and the small touches of the cards and letters when I couldn’t see them and making all the crafts for treasured memories were above and beyond.  They will never know how grateful we are to them and there is definitely not enough thanks and praise I can give them.”

The team behind an innovative research study which aims to improve the safety of carrying out Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGPs) has been presented with the Annual Making a Difference Award.

The Rapid Video Recording of Aerosol Generating Procedures (RVR-AGP), which was named as the winner of the Research and Innovation Award at this year’s virtual award ceremony, is a collaborative study in partnership with Rolls-Royce which uses ultra-high speed cameras to capture the movement of tiny fluid droplets created when carrying out AGPs, specifically tracheostomies, on patients who have tested positive for Covid-19.

The path of the droplets is then tracked allowing the estimated spread of pathogens to determine how safe operating theatres are – with this data then being used to create new, safer ways of carrying out these procedures.

Although the full findings of the study are yet to be delivered, initial data suggests that the improvements made as a result of this work have improved safety measures for theatre staff.

Chief People Officer, Amanda Rawlings, presented the award to members of the team, and praised their work and the safety improvements it has brought to theatres:

“The work that you and your colleagues have done is quite remarkable. I’m completely in awe of everything you’ve achieved, and of the partnership working you’ve demonstrated with Rolls-Royce, so I want to say a huge thank you on behalf of everyone at the Trust.”

Professor Owen Judd, Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon and Associate Director for Undergraduate Education, is the co-lead for the study and expressed his delight at receiving the award.

He said: “In all honesty, it was an honour and a surprise when the project was announced as the winner of this award. There are so many other amazing research and innovation projects on the go at UHDB that are all doing incredible things, so to be singled out as the winners of this award was quite something.”

Mr Bindy Sahota, Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon and co-lead for the study, said that this shines a light on some of the incredible research that is going on at UHDB and thanked colleagues from Rolls-Royce for their commitment to the cause.

He said: “I would like to say, on behalf of the whole team, a huge thank you to everyone involved, especially those at Rolls-Royce. I also want to say a special thanks to our colleagues at UHDB Mr Mark Johston, Mr Thomas Stubington and the entirety of the medical team for their tireless work, as well as Dr Nima Mottacki from Sweden.

“We’re quite understated when it comes to research and innovation at the Trust – there are so many amazing projects on the go. So to be chosen as the winner means a lot.”

A Sister has been presented with a Monthly Making a Difference Award after the support she gave to her colleagues, patients and their families and other members of the emergency services during a “difficult night shift”

Siobhan Kelly, who works in Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) at Royal Derby Hospital, was nominated by one of her medical colleagues within 24 hours of her going above and beyond when handling a serious incident on the unit, showing “unwavering compassion and empathy that was really next level.”

The nomination continued: “I feel it’s really important that Siobhan is recognised for her help, professionalism and care. I could not have got through it and the situation could have ended very differently without her.”

Executive Chief Operating Officer, Sharon Martin, presented Siobhan with her award in front of her colleagues on MAU and commended her for going above and beyond for her patients and colleagues at UHDB:

“This is such a busy area of the hospital and Siobhan really went above and beyond so I really want to say well done.

“For a colleague to nominate you so soon after the incident happened shows just how much of an impact your actions had so thank you very much.”

Siobhan received a rapturous round of applause from her colleagues and said: “Thank you all so much, this is absolutely amazing!”

If you would like to nominate a colleague or team for a Monthly Making a Difference Award, please let us know.

There are four monthly Making a Difference Awards categories:

• Chief Executive Award – chosen by Gavin Boyle
• Patient Hero Award – nominated by patients
• Team UHDB Award – you can nominate your team or another team
• Excellent Employee Award – you can nominate your colleagues

You can send a 300 word nomination, along with the name of the team or individual, their job title and where they work, to: uhdb.employeeawards@nhs.net.

Respiratory teams at Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Burton have been presented with their trophies and certificates after winning one of our Outstanding Contribution Awards at this year’s Annual Making a Difference Awards.

The teams across our acute hospitals have been at the forefront of our response to Covid-19 in what has often been a rapidly changing set of circumstances in order to provide the best care possible to our patients while keeping our colleagues safe.

Our teams have cared for patients with the virus on our wards and implemented new treatment methods for patients with Covid-19, including the use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) in our High Dependency Unit to reduce the amount of patients that needed to be placed on a ventilator among a host of other innovations.

Our ImpACT+ Service, which is a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) consisting of respiratory consultants, specialist nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, offering on-going support and care to respiratory patients in the community, also developed a virtual ward model, enabling respiratory patients to continue to receive the physical and emotional support they needed when they weren’t able to attend our hospitals. The team was recognised nationally in 2020 when they won Respiratory Care Initiative of the Year at the HSJ Value Awards as well as being shortlisted for the national HSJ Awards in the same year.

It wasn’t just ImpACT+ who received national recognition, as our Respiratory Infection Team were crowned winners of the British Medical Journal’s Respiratory Team of the Year in 2020 for their work in improving care for patients with community acquired pneumonia and reducing the time these patients spent in hospital if they were admitted with the condition. The team has also been shortlisted for the Respiratory Nursing Award in this year’s Nursing Times Awards.

Chief Executive Gavin Boyle presented the teams with the award in person at Royal Derby Hospital and said: “The pressure on the team during the pandemic has been immense. I remember observing CPAP and seeing how incredibly demanding it was, and the things you have done have meant that families are now in a better place because of your care.

“I can’t imagine how difficult it has been, so this award is a way of saying thank you from me and on behalf of the whole Trust – although I’m not sure there’s a way we could express our gratitude to you fully for the truly incredible things you have all done.”

Jenny Deakin, General Manager of Specialist Medicine Business Unit 1, said: “I’m incredibly proud of everyone working within the Business Unit. It is fantastic that our Respiratory team has been awarded with this Outstanding Contribution Award; it’s been an incredibly challenging period but the way all of our teams have worked and continue to work together to provide the best care possible for our patients is nothing short of amazing.

“All of our teams are winners and it is fantastic to see Respiratory recognised in this way. I would like to thank everyone for their hard work, commitment and compassion throughout some of the hardest times we have ever known in the NHS. Your work and care has been humbling to see.”

Lauren Collins, Senior Sister on Ward 404 at Royal Derby Hospital, said: “It’s lovely that the teams have been recognised in this way, and it has given everyone a real sense of pride. I would personally like to thank all of my colleagues who have tirelessly and supported each other no matter what has come our way and continue to do so. I’m so proud of everyone.”

Take a look at all of our Annual Making a Difference Award winners here >

The Operations Team at Queen’s Hospital Burton have been recognised for going above and beyond to support Team UHDB throughout the pandemic by being presented with our August Team UHDB Award.

The team received a lovely nomination from  a colleague, which read: “The teams are responsible for enabling flow through the hospital from the front door all the way to discharge, ensuring that patient safety is maintained, patients are where they need to be and that the site is safe whilst following ever changing pathways.

The teams across both days and out of hours are responsible for ensuring critical care have the bed space they require, moving capacity around to ensure that Covid patients are within a safe space and also have been instrumental in the quest to ensure that elective surgery can continue, by finding and allocating beds whilst contending with the risks of non-elective admissions using the same bed capacity.

Working within the team is a high pressured and often stressful set of roles for the teams to work in”

Presenting the team with the award, Duncan Bedford, Executive Managing Director at QHB, said: “I am incredibly proud of the team and how they have conducted themselves throughout the pandemic – they’ve been a great support to the wider hospital and this award is richly deserved.”

If you would like to nominate a colleague or team for a Monthly Making a Difference Award, please let us know.

There are four monthly Making a Difference Awards categories:

• Chief Executive Award – chosen by Gavin Boyle
• Patient Hero Award – nominated by patients
• Team UHDB Award – you can nominate your team or another team
• Excellent Employee Award – you can nominate your colleagues

You can send a 300 word nomination, along with the name of the team or individual, their job title and where they work, to: uhdb.employeeawards@nhs.net.