Staff across Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) were celebrated for the compassion, dedication and quality of care they provide to their patients at the trust’s seventh annual ‘Wow!’ Awards Gala Ceremony.
From porters to physicians, Hampshire Hospitals staff receive over 300 Wow Award nominations each month from patients, relatives and colleagues. Wow Winners are announced throughout the year, surprising staff in their workplace, before the overall winners are announced at the Gala event.
Wow Award winners from Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, and Andover War Memorial Hospital were selected to attend a special ceremony at Winchester Guildhall.
Awards were handed out in 11 categories at the event, which was attended by the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, the Mayor of Test Valley and the Mayor of Winchester as well as representatives from the Rotary clubs of Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester. Patient services administrator Megan Dixon kicked off proceedings with an emotional rendition of Hero.
Andover midwife Libby Matthews was the winner of the Chief Nurse’s Award. The nomination described how Libby had gone above and beyond to provide expert clinical care and advice often outside of her working day, and, when necessary, the emotional support the family needed.
The team behind the Emergency Surgery Ambulatory Clinic (ESAC) at Basingstoke hospital picked up the surgical divisional award, after the team were nominated by a patient on the very first day the unit had opened.
Hayley Blandford, clinical matron for ESAC, said: “2019 was a big year for us and the whole team have worked incredibly hard to get the service up and running, putting patients at the centre of everything we do. We are all really proud of the care we provide, and it feels fantastic to have won the divisional award for 2019 – the perfect way to end our year!”
Jordan Melvin, part of the palliative care team in Winchester, took home the Chairman’s Award after going above and beyond to ensure a patient at the end of their life could spend time in a place that was close to their heart. The nomination said that “it meant the world” to the patient, who “lit up with happiness” whenever he spoke about the day.
Jordan said: “I absolutely love the job that I do. Every day I know that I am helping to make a difference to a patient and their family, so to have won an award is really surprising but a great feeling. Going the extra mile for our patients is part of what makes the entire team so special, and I know I am not alone in going above and beyond for our patients.”
Other winners included porter Robert Thompson, who showed incredible compassion to a family, the sterile services team, who worked tirelessly to solve a problem, and emergency nurse practitioner Ruth Willoughby for her fantastic work in setting up a pathway for patients with mental health problems to ensure they receive the care they need.
