Team and Employee of the Month – January 2018

Our Accident and Emergency (A&E) team were the very first recipients of our Team of the Month award for January 2018.

The department secured not one but two nominations for their dedication and provision of outstanding patient care this winter when admissions have been unrelenting and among some of the highest recorded at the hospital.

Sister Kayleigh Lawton recommended her colleagues for the accolade.

She said: “The past few months have been a testing time for the team as not only have they been through adverse conditions in terms of stresses placed on the department but they have also been the focal point of the media, having coped with the national news, CQC and the busiest day to date which saw 543 admissions.”

Compassionate and caring

While healthcare assistant Rachel Grange’s nomination added: “A&E staff are hardworking, compassionate, caring and deal with challenging situations on a daily basis.

“With winter pressures, we have worked well as a team to ensure patient safety. A&E is a positive, supportive team who deserve the Team of the Month award.”

The judging panel was chaired by director of strategy and integration, John Holden, and included divisional general manager for anaesthesia, diagnostics and surgery, Collette Cunningham, and governor, Allan English.

John said: “We felt staff in A&E exhibited the characteristics of great team working by maintaining high quality care for patients whilst under severe pressure, receiving multiple visits from regulators, always being present to keep patients safe (sometimes beyond the end of a shift) and implementing positive changes in ways of working.”

Reacting to the A&E team’s win, matron Jo Stedman said: “We are overjoyed at being awarded the inaugural Team of the Year prize.

“It is a huge moral boost for everyone and an award we are very proud to receive.”

Anna Butler, from our porters’ team, was the worthy winner of our first Employee of the Month award.

Anna, who has worked at Bradford Royal Infirmary for almost four years and is one of only a handful of female porters, was presented with her certificate by Pat Campbell, director of HR, who said Anna’s story stood out from the 13 nominations received.

Anna admitted she was overwhelmed and thrilled to have been chosen, and well remembers the time which led to her nomination.

Dr Amarvir Bilkhu, a registrar in general/vascular surgery, nominated Anna for the award after he witnessed her kindness and compassion when staying with an elderly patient until her family arrived at the hospital.

Palliative care

Anna transferred a lady with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm around from A&E to the CT scanning area. Anna, who had done a palliative care course in a previous carers’ job, realised that this lady had no family with her and was looking very unwell.

Once she brought the patient back to A&E, Anna stayed with her, kept her company, held her hand and talked to her while her family travelled to hospital – which was past the time her shift had ended.

Amarvir said: “The empathy, dedication and compassion shown by Anna to this patient was truly commendable, inspiring and heart-warming.”

Anna added: “I decided to stay with her as it just seemed the right thing to do; I sat talking to her so she wasn’t alone waiting for her family. I love working in A&E as it’s always busy and, as the only woman porter there, I think I bring a different perspective to things. If I’ve got time, I’ll always help.”