A dynamic junior sister/charge nurse with exemplary commitment, and a paediatric staff nurse turned author, are the winners of December’s You Made a Difference awards.
Kirsty Smith returned to the emergency department (ED) in April of this year after a brief spell working in a London emergency department. Prior to this she was a nurse in our ED since 2014.
Since returning Kirsty has been pivotal in educating staff about sepsis and has put together a monthly newsletter.
Kirsty is an approachable and dynamic team member that always has a smile on her face. She works in all areas of the ED and also carries the coordinator’s bleep.
This is reflected in the winning nomination which told us:
Kirsty consistently goes above and beyond with developing creative ideas to improve patient care and patient outcomes.
Kirsty is also personally developing several projects, including working with an ED doctor to record an ED podcast for the department; redesigning the escalation process to increase staff interest and understanding; Kirsty provides a monthly prize to the patient escalation winner; and she designed a bi-weekly newspaper to highlight escalation projects, ideas and outcomes.
Kirsty shows a strong commitment to the department, the staff and achieving best patient outcomes. Her commitment is exemplary. Kirsty is an asset to the ED and to the organisation.
Victoria Sleaford is a paediatric staff nurse who was newly qualified when she started on ward C2 in April this year. Ward C2 cares for children with oncology and haematology conditions.
Prior to Vicky undertaking her nurse training she was a play specialist too, which is an extra attribute to have as a paediatric nurse.
Vicky is an extremely kind and patient individual who always wants to do her best for the children and families within her care. She is a well thought of member of the nursing team, who is always cheerful and positive in her work.
The winning nomination said:
Not only is Vicky a valuable new addition to the C2 ward team, she has also written a fantastic book for children who have lost their hair as a result of their cancer treatment.
‘Harri the Hair Fairy’ has been published with proceeds going to The Little Princess Trust charity to raise vital funds that benefit children.
Therefore not only does the book itself support children undergoing treatment, but proceeds of its sale also benefit this group of children. Vicky has donated several copies of the book to our unit and also to our shared care hospitals.