REACH Awards 2014
Recognition of Excellence and
Achievement in Community Health
Our stars shine at fabulous staff awards gala event
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REACH Awards 2014
Recognising our Stars
Welcome to this special newsletter dedicated to our fantastic staff who we celebrated and recognised
during our REACH Awards ceremony 2014.
The evening, held at Sprowston Manor, gave colleagues
from across Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
the chance to hang up their uniforms, pull on their glad
rags and celebrate some tremendous stories of compassion,
kindness and the very best patient care.
More than 200 staff, our new Shadow Council of Governors,
commissioners, partner agencies and sponsors took part
in the celebrations, while the Norfolk Rock Choir provided
a live soundtrack during the evening. You can read more
about their performance below.
It made us incredibly proud to acknowledge and reward
individuals and teams from across our Trust whose enormous
contribution has made a real difference to the lives of
thousands of people from across Norfolk.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody
who has supported the awards, from staff who have
nominated their colleagues, to our fantastic sponsors
whose generosity helped make the evening such a success.
And finally, our special congratulations go to our winners, who
you will be able to read more about over the next few pages.
Ken Applegate
Chair
As you know, we received a staggering 172 entries for the
awards, and were hugely impressed by their quality. Simply
receiving a nomination is a tremendous achievement, and our
congratulations go to everyone whose name was put forward.
Behind each winner and nomination is a moving tale of
hard work, commitment and dedication. Hearing fantastic
examples of how our staff are going above and beyond
the call of duty to make sure our patients get the very best
treatment and care is an absolute pleasure.
Sponsored by:
Our finalists are rocked by a special performance
Awards finalists and their guests were treated to a special
surprise performance during Thursday’s ceremony when
some musical guests dropped in to rock our gala evening.
The 80 members of Norfolk Rock Choir filled the marquee
with music during their special performance. They emerged
from their hiding place backstage to sing Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True
Colours’, in recognition of how our staff’s dedication and
compassion is ‘shining through’, and were accompanied by
a special film showing our fantastic staff in action.
The group finished their emotional live performance with
a rendition of the Carole King hit ‘Where You Lead’.
Michael Scott
Chief Executive
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Looking After You Locally Award
Starfish+,
Children’s Learning Disabilities, Mental Health
and Child and Adolescent Service
Winner
Runner
up
Steve Judd, Communication Development Worker
Community Learning Disabilities Team (North)
The passion and energy which Steve Judd shows for his role has a huge impact
on everyone he meets, by inspiring his colleagues while ensuring his patients
and their carers receive the highest quality service.
A Communication Development Worker for more than 30 years, dedicated Steve
always goes above and beyond to do his best for patients, ensuring they have a
voice and choice in their care.
Steve’s immense positivity and enthusiasm effortlessly motivates those around him
in the north Norfolk Community Learning Disabilities Team. Colleagues who work
with him credit him with changing the way they communicate, in turn allowing
them to provide an even better service and make a real difference to the lives of
our patients and their carers.
Steve holds the highest personal values. A natural presence, he works with
empathy and an unconditional and positive regard for patients, carers and
colleagues. He will be truly missed by staff from across the Trust when he retires
later this year.
Committed, dedicated and passionate, our Starfish+ team has helped scores of vulnerable children facing crisis to
turn their lives around, lead a normal family life and look forward to a positive future.
Set up just over a year ago, the small team helps children
aged between four and 18 who have a learning disability
and are at risk of having to leave their homes because
of mental health problems. Working closely with other
agencies, Starfish+ carry out a series of intensive visits to
support the child, their parents and siblings so they can
overcome their difficulties and go on to lead a normal,
happy life.
Led by Clinical Psychologist Dr Melanie Bruce, the team
provides a supportive framework around each child,
helping them to identify and address issues as a family
before moving forward positively. Despite often working
unsociable hours, their passion and commitment never
waivers – a fact reflected in the fantastic success stories
already recorded by the service.
“Our team at Starfish+ is amazing and I couldn’t wish
for better,” said Melanie. “They have all played a part in
making the service a success and are determined to make
sure each individual – and their family – receives the best
possible care.
Linda Hatton, Specialist Heart Failure Nurse
(South)
“Flexible, hard-working and patient, they are all incredibly
passionate about our aims and ethos, and are committed
to achieving consistently excellent outcomes for our
patients. Each member of the team brings their own
specialism, professionalism and enthusiasm, and their
input has been invaluable.
Specialist Heart Failure Nurse, Linda Hatton, is a great example of
community healthcare at its best, and aptly demonstrates the six Cs in
everything she does.
“Our work can be really emotional as we meet families
who are experiencing real difficulties, but we have had
some amazing outcomes and really feel we are making
a difference in turning their lives around.
“When we receive feedback from the families we help,
and can see that they have a much better quality of life
as a result of our input, it makes is so worthwhile.”
Runner
up
She uses her outstanding interpersonal skills to put her patients at ease, helping to give
those facing complex illnesses comfort and confidence in their own ability to manage.
She treats everyone she meets with the utmost professionalism, providing
excellent care while signposting them to further areas of support, both within
our Trust and from external agencies.
Linda uses her expertise wisely, taking the time to help her patients in south
Norfolk understand what is happening to them and using clear, effective and
appropriate language to explain their care. She also works well across different
organisations to ensure her patients can benefit from a seamless and joined up
service. She is a great example of the way that our Trust is looking after people
locally and thoroughly deserves recognition.
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Good Corporate Citizen Award
Sharon Duneclift, Health Visitor
North and Broadland Health Visiting Team
Winner
When Health Visitor Sharon
Duneclift was tasked with
designing and delivering a project to improve health
outcomes within her community, she went the extra mile
to ensure her initiative would make a real difference to
the families in her care.
After pinpointing speech and language as an area where
pre-school children could benefit from further development,
Sharon designed a special play session to teach parents the
necessary skills to help their children and encourage interaction at
home. The six-week programme, ‘Chatterboxes’, looked at how
speech and language develops, giving parents information and
empowering them to make positive changes in the home.
Maria Richardson, Healthy Child Programme Clinical Lead, said:
“Sharon carried out an enormous breadth of work to develop
the ‘Chatterboxes’ project. As well as liaising with education,
her local children’s centre, library services, speech and language
therapists and a local dentist, she also worked closely with a
Hungarian family to ensure the course was suitable for people
whose first language was not English.
“Sharon really did go the extra mile to establish the issues and
work in partnership to deliver an integrated project. Feedback
has been really good, with the parents recognising the need for
greater participation in their child’s reading. This has led to less
time in front of the television, prompted more interest in books
and should ensure they have better speech and language skills
when they go to school.
“In addition, it has helped build self-esteem and confidence
among parents, which then has a positive knock-on effect on
their children.”
Sharon, who has now run three separate sessions in the
Sprowston area, said: “We were asked to initiate a project as
part of our preceptorship, and I wanted it to be something
which was needed in the community.
“Speech and language is so important, and can really help
with school readiness, so it is hugely satisfying to know that
Chatterboxes is really benefitting families.”
Runner
up
Thetford Community Nursing and
Therapy Integrated Team
The Thetford Community Nursing and Therapy Integrated
Team went above and beyond to spread a little Christmas
cheer recently when they delivered special boxes to vulnerable
patients who would be spending the festive period alone.
Community Nurse, Kelly Melanson, thought up the fantastic idea
after visiting a housebound patient who had no friends or family.
The whole team were quick to embrace the initiative, and put
together 12 boxes, which contained a card with a personal message
and small gifts, such as mince pies, chocolates and Christmas
puddings, scarves, socks and gloves.
The team delivered 11 boxes on Christmas Eve and one on
Christmas Day, bringing joy and surprise to their patients,
including them in the festivities and showing them that someone
was thinking of them. Through their generosity, they helped boost
their patients’ mental health and wellbeing, as well as putting a
smile on their faces.
Runner
up
Michelle Hanke, Human Resources Assistant
Kind-hearted Michelle Hanke has shown tremendous drive and
determination to help vulnerable people in our local community by
establishing a Foodbank within our Trust Headquarters.
The Human Resources Assistant started the initiative last year by setting up
collection points where colleagues could leave non-perishable goods for
donation to families in need. Since launching the Foodbank, she has collected
more than 130kg of tinned fruit, pasta, UHT milk and toiletries, and delivered
them to the Norwich Foodbank for distribution to people in crisis.
Michelle came up with the idea for this fantastic initiative after noticing
how much food went to waste following a fridge clear-out at work. Her
enthusiasm and passion for the project has rubbed off on colleagues, whose
generosity has made a big difference to local people from across Norwich.
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Governors’ Recognition Award
Ann Yaxley, Registered Nurse
Pineheath Ward, Kelling Hospital
Winner
Dorothy Simpson
Specialist Palliative Care Nurse
Runner
up
Specialist Palliative Care Nurse, Dorothy Simpson, shows the highest
commitment to excellent care and considerable skills in managing her
patients’ complex symptoms. A key member of the Community Palliative
Care Service, she has strong leadership qualities despite an unassuming
personal style.
Dorothy, who is based at Priscilla Bacon Lodge, has played a pivotal role in
shaping palliative and end of life care across Norwich and Broadland, working closely with primary care and community
colleagues from across our Trust. As well as delivering first class patient care, she has also helped professionals from all
disciplines, including nurses, therapists and social workers, to develop their skills through her educational work, in turn
bringing improvements to palliative care across the county.
Compassionate and committed, Dorothy has excellent communication skills and shows great courage and a gentle touch
when helping our patients to cope with difficult news and emotional stress as they adjust to their illness.
Compassionate, empathetic and supportive, Ann Yaxley works incredibly hard to provide exceptional care,
embodying our Trust values in everything she does. Professional and dedicated, she takes her responsibilities
as a Registered Nurse extremely seriously, doing everything she can to support patients, relatives and carers
and make a difference to their lives.
A passionate advocate who works hard to make sure
her patient’s wishes are met, Ann often goes above and
beyond the call of duty to provide a first class service.
She forges good relationships with everyone she meets,
winning the trust of patients and families so that she
can provide ‘exemplary’ palliative care which meets their
individual needs.
An example of this kindness and dedication came when
Ann willingly changed her personal plans at the last
minute to care for a young cancer patient who wanted
to die at home. Using her clinical skills, courage and
compassion, she supported the patient and his family
throughout the night, communicating clearly and helping
to keep everyone calm in a traumatic situation so that the
patient could die as peacefully as possible in the comfort
of his own bed.
Caroline Leahy, Clinical Lead, Temporary Worker Service,
said: “Undoubtedly, Ann’s advanced skills, compassion and
natural empathy makes a difference to the patients and
families she meets every day.
She exemplifies the level of care, compassion, courage and
commitment which our Trust advocates for its staff.
“Ann’s dedication and commitment goes far beyond
the job in hand. She models our Trust values in the
professional way she conducts herself, especially when it
comes to supporting patients’ needs.
“She works incredibly hard to ensure her competencies
are at the highest possible level, and provides high quality
palliative care. Recognising her responsibilities as a patient
advocate, Ann ensures their wishes are carried out,
including in the final moments of life.”
Runner
up
Care At Home Team (North)
The Care at Home Team (North) has made an
enormous contribution to improving care for
their patients, and always put them at the forefront
of the service they provide.
Based at Kelling Hospital, this small team works hard to
deliver a high quality service across north Norfolk
24-hours-a-day. Even during severe winter weather, these
‘snow angels’ made sure no visits were missed, with one
Healthcare Assistant so determined to reach her patients that
she had to be dug out of the snow twice within an hour.
The team act as tremendous advocates on behalf of our patients while also extending the best possible
care to families and carers. A shining example of their compassionate approach came when a Healthcare Assistant helped
a lady who was afraid of being alone with her dying husband. By holding her hand, gently explaining what was happening
and staying with her to offer guidance after her husband had died, they were able to bring comfort and reassurance at an
otherwise difficult time.
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Winner
Lucy Softley, Pre-Nursing Experience
Healthcare Assistant
Emerging Talent Award
Nicola Smith,
Community Physiotherapist
North Walsham Community Nursing and Therapy
Integrated Team
Despite joining the South East Norfolk Community Nursing
and Therapy Integrated Team at a difficult time, Community
Physiotherapist Nicola Smith rose to the challenge and worked
seamlessly with colleagues so that patients could benefit from a
prompt, high quality service.
Runner
up
Caroline House
Despite being one of our newest recruits, Pre-Nursing
Experience Healthcare Assistant, Lucy Softley, is already carving
herself a promising healthcare career by making the most of every
opportunity to learn and develop her skills.
Lucy joined our Trust as part of the Specialist Neurological Rehabilitation
Inpatients Service in October and has quickly settled into the team at Caroline
House. She shows great kindness and compassion to patients, all of which
have complex needs, and works hard to make visitors feel welcome and
support her colleagues, whenever she can.
An excellent communicator with a fantastic attitude towards education,
Lucy soaks up new information ‘like a sponge’ and is keen to learn as
much as she can from colleagues. A valued team member, she shows
courage in asking questions in challenging situations, yet is gentle and
understanding with the patients in her care.
Nicola put her expertise to good use immediately to triage and prioritise
patients, successfully reducing waiting lists and providing high standards
of service without appearing pressured.
Working closely with her colleagues, Nicola championed integrated
assessments. Not only did this joined-up approach make life easier for
colleagues, it also brought huge benefits to patients by ensuring they
received an improved experience when accessing our care.
Lucy’s colleagues speak highly of her and say they look forward to
watching her develop into a nurse of which our Trust can be truly proud.
Nicola, who now works in North Walsham, introduced changes
which boosted the whole team, helping each member work together
more effectively and gain additional knowledge to further drive
quality within the service.
Runner
up
Physiotherapy Clinical Lead, Jane Johnston, who nominated Nicola,
said: “Nicola is so committed and motivated, constantly questioning
and learning, analysing and contributing to excellent two-way
supervision and discussion of complex cases.
Heidi Davidson, Learning Disabilities Nurse
“She has taught us to embrace change and brings such energy to
her role, outwardly enjoying her chosen career and impacting on the
behaviour of all around her.
‘Positive, committed and incredibly competent’, Heidi Davidson
thrives on learning from others and is always looking for ways to
further develop her own skills to benefit the children she works with.
“Nicola’s propensity to
work alongside colleagues
rubbed off on us all. She has
personally helped us to achieve
shared competencies and
gain confidence.
She has made huge progress since joining our Starfish West service after
qualifying as a Learning Disabilities Nurse in October 2012, and has
proven herself to be an enormous asset to the team. She shows a genuine
interest in everyone she meets and is highly motivated and hard-working,
planning her interventions carefully to ensure each of the children in her
care receive the best possible help to meet their individual needs.
“She is so refreshing to work
with, and her patients would
be hard-pressed to find a better
therapist. She is truly a rising star
and a great ambassador for the Trust.”
Heidi shows great skill in communicating effectively with the people she
meets, and always places the child at the heart of everything she does. By
going above and beyond the call of duty, she achieves many fantastic clinical
outcomes for children and their families and has helped strengthen Starfish
West’s already excellent reputation still further.
Starfish West
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Unsung Hero Award
Carla Nobrega-Holloway
Community Assistant Practitioner
Winner
City 2 Community Nursing and Therapy Integrated Team
Runner
up
Joanna White, Specialist COPD
Nurse (West)
Empathetic, compassionate, caring, sensitive, honest
and kind are just some of the words colleagues use
to describe Specialist COPD Nurse, Joanna White.
A member of the COPD team since its launch 14 years ago, Jo shows
unrelenting passion and dedication to her patients and their families. Always
striving to do what is best, she shows great tenacity and never gives up until
any issues have been resolved to give the patient the best possible outcome.
Patients, families, carers and colleagues know they can trust Jo, who will go the
extra mile to pick up an extra visit, deal with a query, reassure someone on the telephone or provide a listening ear for
colleagues. A real unsung hero, her colleagues say they’d like someone like Jo to look after their loved ones if they were ill,
which is a fitting tribute for her considerable talents.
Adrian Willis, Physiotherapy Assistant
High quality patient care is always at the forefront of Community Assistant Practitioner Carla NobergaHolloway’s mind. Committed and passionate, she not only excels in her frontline duties, but often completes
additional tasks behind the scenes, making her a real unsung hero.
A pleasure to work with, who boasts fantastic
relationships with patients, relatives, carers and
colleagues, Carla embodies in the six Cs in the daily care
she provides. Always willing to go the extra mile, she will
make sure her patients receive the care they need and
ensure any complications which may have arisen during
the day have been resolved. She shows the same level of
compassion to her colleagues, offering help and support
wherever she can and always taking on extra patients if
everyone else is busy.
Committed to education and continually developing
her own personal skills, Carla has recently completed
a foundation degree and is using her learning to elevate
her standards of practice even higher.
Lynne Fanning, Team Lead, City 2 Community Nursing and
Therapy Integrated Team, said: “Carla is an outstanding
all round assistant practitioner in the true mould of
integrated working. She shows real potential to move her
career forwards, taking with her the clinical excellence
that she has developed through her work for our Trust.
“Carla pioneers quality integrated working across the
nursing and therapy team and with our partners in acute
care and social services.
“The quality of care she provides is continually being
praised by patients in the local newspaper, on friends and
family feedback forms, compliment slips and cards and in
thank you letters.
“She is driven by a genuine interest in her patients
and the quality of care she strives to provide to them.”
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Service (North)
Adrian Willis has fast become the ‘go to’ member of the Kelling
Hospital team after showing exceptional commitment to his own
MSK Physiotherapy Service and healthcare across north Norfolk
as a whole.
The Physiotherapy Assistant tackles every job with grace and good
humour, and will always support colleagues who are facing pressure
during busy clinics. Adrian handles distressed patients with kindness
and compassion, and is personable and polite in his day-to-day work.
Always keeping the needs of patients at the forefront of his mind,
Adrian has used his previous experience as a fitness instructor to improve
our exercise programmes. He has also introduced a physiotherapy
group outside of normal working hours to bring added convenience for
patients and make services easier to access.
Adrian is always willing to go the extra mile and regularly carries out
additional duties. Colleagues say he makes a huge contribution to the
smooth running of the department, which would be a poorer place
without him.
Runner
up
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Mary Page, Team of the Year
Award winner
It feels great to be an award
winner and having Robin
(a former patient) here made it
even more special...
Carla Nobrega-Holloway,
Unsung Hero Award winner
It is so overwhelming and I just
want to thank the team becaus
e
I couldn’t do it without them…
ition
Ann Yaxley, Governors’ Recogn
Award winner
It is my passion, I love
palliative care…
Sharon Duneclift, Good Corpor
ate
Citizen Award winner
I’ve never won an award
before, so it’s lovely to win...!
ical Excellence
Christine Harvey, Clin
Award winner
e wards,
I love going on to th
I’m the
when patients realise
to tell me
Matron they all want
ted…
how well they are trea
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Inspirational Leader Award
Becky Cooper,
Assistant Director (North)
Winner
Runner
up
Jennifer Maddox, Clinical Link Nurse
Cromer Community Nursing and Therapy Integrated Team
Inspirational leader Becky Cooper, our Assistant Director
in north Norfolk, has an obvious passion for patient care
and a constant focus on maintaining quality. By putting our
patients at the heart of everything her teams do, she ensures
that all staff share the common goal of providing the best
possible service.
Working openly and transparently, Becky has built strong
relationships with colleagues at all levels as well as our wider
partners within health and social care. She has successfully
devolved day-to-day decision making to her community matrons,
ward managers and team leads, empowering them to find
solutions to any issues they may be facing. In addition, she
encourages all members of staff to take the initiative and make
small changes to benefit our patients.
Jennifer Maddox has a real passion for nursing and strives to deliver excellent
care for all. An excellent leader, she has earned huge respect from her
colleagues in the Cromer Community Nursing and Therapy Integrated Team,
and is compassionate and caring towards everyone she meets.
Always approachable and ready to listen, this Clinical Link Nurse will do her best
to help with patient care issues or any personal problems her colleagues may be
facing. Thanks to her support, her team feels empowered to develop and flourish.
Jenny makes all of her staff feel valued, and has a natural ability to develop effective
relationships with people at all levels. Despite working long hours to deliver the best
possible care in her day job, she spends her spare time organising team building activities
and supporting bereaved children as a volunteer with Nelson’s Journey. An inspirational
leader and fabulous nurse, Jenny is truly one in a million!
“Becky leads by example, greeting every challenge
with positivity and energy,” said Kate Pontin, North Walsham
Community Nursing and Therapy Integrated Team Lead. “This
encourages the management team around her to work to these
principles, problem solving as creatively as possible.
“Her clinical background is evident in her passion and commitment, which has helped foster an environment in which
staff can deliver the six Cs, while she has made high quality patient care the focus for both the management and
operational teams. She embraces new approaches to care while still placing patient safety and dignity at the forefront
of any discussion.
“Becky has a very open and inclusive management style which encourages collaboration and team working, creating
an environment in which everyone is valued and can actively participate.
“Well-respected across our organisation and with other partner agencies, social services and the CCG within the north
locality, Becky presents a positive image for the Trust, always displaying a highly professional approach while still being
friendly and open.”
Rebecca Buss and Darren Sayer
Learning and Development Team
Rebecca Buss and Darren Sayer, who together make up the Learning and
Development Team, are excellent role models who show great leadership
skills, boundless energy and endless enthusiasm for everything they do.
As well as organising training programmes which have a positive
impact on developing our staff and their relationships with others,
they also help drive culture change within our Trust by influencing
senior managers, who in turn filter leadership behaviours to
their colleagues.
Darren and Becs have strong personal values and excellent communication skills, and make the
most of their complementary talents to work effectively together. They show great consistency
both inside and out of the training room, and are not afraid to give colleagues the clear and
specific feedback on areas where they could improve still further.
The duo act as shining examples of the leadership qualities which they encourage in others,
and always strive to do their best, considering carefully how they can ultimately support our
patients through the education they offer.
Runner
up
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Integration and Partnership Award
Integrated Team, Children with Complex
Health and Disability (Central)
Joint
winners
Starfish West
Children’s Learning Disabilities, Mental Health
and Child and Adolescent Service
The Integrated Team, Children with Complex Health and Disability show fantastic dedication as they work
across professions and organisational boundaries to provide effective care, closer to home, for children with
disabilities and other complex health needs.
Our expert team at Starfish West is a shining example of successful integration, working across organisational
boundaries to provide a vital service which helps children with learning disabilities overcome mental health
and behavioural problems.
The team are always looking for ways to further improve
the care they provide to ensure the young people they
work with receive the highest quality service.
The team has embraced close working with our partner
agencies to ensure the best possible outcomes. As well
as organising joint referral meetings to ensure the most
appropriate agency is working with the child, they also
offer support and advice to other services as well as
working in partnership to support young people who
are outside of the school system.
Integrated Team Lead, Hannah Tall, said: “Our team
provides highly specialised care to children, young people
and their families, and are always striving to improve
access to services. They work seamlessly together to
provide effective care and treatment within their local
community, where possible, to ensure the best outcomes
for their care. This is a unique service which has been
modelled on best practice from around the country.
Runner
up
“I am very proud to be the team leader of this group of
professionals, who always go the extra mile to ensure
the child and family receive care that is integrated and
coordinated around their particular needs.”
The team will readily embrace new initiatives, and have
worked closely with the Norfolk and Norwich University
Hospital to set up an integrated clinic to provide joined up
assessments and care for children with specialist needs.
As well as reducing length of stay and improving the
patient experience, the project is making sure children
and their families can access the right care in the right
place at the right time.
Anne Goodrich, Team Lead, said: “I would like to thank
every member of our close-knit team for the hard work
they have put into building the service into the success it
is today. Over the past decade, we have helped hundreds
of children and their families to manage and resolve
challenging behaviour and mental health problems.
Sure Start Children’s Centres
Our Sure Start Children’s Centres are a shining example of truly integrated working which is making a real difference
to the lives of hundreds of vulnerable families across Norfolk.
In July 2012, following the re-commissioning of Norfolk’s
Children’s Centres, our Trust took up the role of lead agency for
an additional four Children’s centres across the county. Up for the
challenge, our staff began working closely with colleagues from
the council to deliver our best practice model for the centres,
which aimed to improve outcomes for some of Norfolk’s most
disadvantaged children through joined-up, family-centred care.
Our dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working staff are now
delivering an effective and innovative model of health, social care
and early education though their multi-disciplinary teams. As well
as significantly increasing the number of children using the centres,
they have also made a particular difference with families
who previously found accessing services difficult.
“Often the children we work with can’t communicate
very well, so we find other ways to communicate and
spend lots of time with them so that we can get a better
understanding of the problems they are experiencing.
“Our role isn’t just to help the child but also support
their parents and siblings, showing them how to manage
difficult behaviour and highlighting the things they could
do to help.”
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Innovation Award
Talk About Project
Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service
Winner
Wanda Thompson, Team Lead
Runner
up
Virtual Ward and Coastal Community Nursing
and Therapy Integrated Team
Wanda Thompson has been instrumental in developing our innovative
new Virtual Ward for the benefit of patients in west Norfolk. Despite a
short lead in time, she worked tirelessly to recruit all of the necessary staff
and make sure it was up and running in record time.
By liaising effectively with other agencies and showing great enthusiasm and
strong leadership skills, Wanda has developed a model carefully tailored to
address the needs of the locality. The ward is now improving the experience
which patients have of using health services by ensuring they can return
home quickly, and with the appropriate support, following an admission to
an acute hospital.
Wanda showed great enthusiasm for the project from the moment the
idea was first mooted, and has since dedicated herself to its success.
Her personal energy and drive, coupled with her excellent clinical skills,
played a huge role in launching the Virtual Ward, which is already bringing
benefits to patients and colleagues from across the health service.
The innovative ‘Talk About’ project has made a huge difference to the quality of life of thousands of
families across Norfolk after giving nearly 7,500 children access to the best possible speech, language and
communication support.
Mandatory Training Project Team
Launched around 18 months ago, they designed a series
of training courses, supporting literature and an online
toolkit – complete with videos, links and downloadable
resources – so that nurseries and schools could identify
children with development problems more easily.
The Mandatory Training Project Team in Corporate and
Operational Services has changed the way education is
delivered by introducing an innovative new learning tool
which is winning plaudits from colleagues from across our
Trust while also helping to save us money.
Since then, nearly 250 early years settings have signed up
to take part in the scheme, with almost 1,500 practitioners
given essential training to help them effectively support
children who have difficulties developing their speech,
language and communication skills.
Alison Fuller, Professional Champion, Children’s Speech and
Language Therapy, said: “Speaking, listening and interacting
well with others are fundamental skills which are essential
in all areas of life. The early years are a critical period for the
development of these skills, and are also the best time for
interventions to help children with any difficulties.
“Our team has worked really hard to share our knowledge
and expertise, and we are delighted that so many early
years’ staff have taken up the training and their feedback
has been so positive.
“By reaching a wide audience in a short time, Talk About
has quickly developed a shared ethos and understanding
of children’s speech and language care needs, and how
best to support them.
“We look forward to helping even more people in the future,
bringing benefits for thousands more children in Norfolk.”
The new patient-centric innovation has seen staff take part in
a two-day learning event set around a patient known as ‘Mandy
Tori’. The sessions are run by experts from across the Trust, who
use a variety of different learning styles and interactive methods to
share their knowledge about subjects, such as patient safety and
observation of hazards.
As well as benefiting individuals, Talk About has also
brought cost savings to the wider health system by
identifying children who need help promptly, allowing them
to receive the support they need more rapidly so they can
be discharged earlier.
Runner
up
So far, more than 500 of our colleagues have completed the
training, with nearly 99% reporting the course would make
a difference in their workplace and 97.5% agreeing their
knowledge had improved.
As well as excellent feedback from those taking part, bringing the
course in-house has helped our Trust to save £25,000 – proving the
project has not only boosted the quality of mandatory training staff
receive, but also represents great value for money.
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REACH Awards 2014
REACH Awards 2014 22
21
Clinical Excellence Award
Christine Harvey,
Modern Matron (South)
Winner
Libby ffrench-Mullen, Principal Speech
and Language Therapist
Runner
up
Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Services
During a career spanning nearly three decades, Libby ffrench-Mullen
has developed a highly regarded specialism in child feeding and
swallowing disorders after helping countless young people with
complex neuro-developmental difficulties.
Over the years, she has fostered a wonderful empathy with the families she
works with, offering support beyond her contracted hours to help them
implement the care packages she expertly designs. Libby’s unique ability to
act as a bridge between hospital and community settings has also ensured
these families receive a seamless service and essential clinical continuity,
which is highly valued by our patients and their parents alike.
Described by colleagues as a ‘shining example of how clinical excellence
can grow’, Libby acts as a catalyst for driving quality within our Children’s
Speech and Language Therapy Service. Her exceptional clinical skills have
recently been recognised externally after our Trust was awarded funding to
develop a regional specialist position for neonatal feeding – a role she will
fulfil with her usual enthusiasm and skill.
‘Outstanding role model’ Christine Harvey is a shining example of clinical excellence who works hard to
deliver consistently high standards to our patients in south Norfolk.
A patient safety champion and talented leader, Modern
Matron Chris played an important role in the development
of our Pressure Ulcer Strategy, providing clinical input,
piloting new initiatives on her wards and motivating others
to embrace changes to practice.
The first matron to include patient safety data on her ward
communication boards, she led on developing new quality
goals for our Trust to maintain our focus on improving quality.
Chris also played a key role when major refurbishment work
got underway on Foxley Ward at Dereham Hospital in 2012.
By acting as the liaison between the executive team, estates,
colleagues on the ward, patients, relatives and stakeholders,
she was able to maintain morale while coordinating the move
back to the unit.
“I love my job and find it really rewarding,” said Chris,
who has been in post for five years and is based at
Wymondham Health Centre.
“When I found out I was a finalist I thought it was
great for the locality and nice to know I’m appreciated
by my colleagues.
“But although I’m the person standing up in front, it’s about
my team, not me. I am so proud of them – I offer support to
put systems in place to make sure we are providing excellent
quality and safe care, but they do all the work.”
Recently, Chris provided excellent clinical leadership to
a project which aimed to reduce delayed transfers of
care. In response to this work, our Trust is now planning
to recruit a discharge coordinator to work across all of
our community hospitals, making sure patients enjoy
a smoother journey through the health and social care
system and a better experience while using the NHS.
Runner
up
Lucy Molineux, Community Link Nurse
Brundall and Acle Community Nursing and Therapy
Integrated Team
Community Link Nurse, Lucy Molineux, always goes the extra mile
to make sure our patients receive a high quality service. Working
collaboratively with partner agencies, she liaises closely with GPs and
other specialists to make sure everyone in her care can achieve the
best possible outcome.
Lucy always keeps our patients at the heart of everything she does, acting
as their advocate. She works hard to identify those who are vulnerable and
puts measures in place to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, while also
showing great dedication to making sure the wishes of our palliative patients
are followed regarding their place of care. In addition, she has played a key
role in the pressure ulcer prevention programme, helping to promote harm
free care throughout our organisation.
Supportive of colleagues and totally committed to her role, Lucy has fantastic
communication skills and an infectious enthusiasm for her work making her an
excellent ambassador for our Trust.
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22
REACH Awards 2014
REACH Awards 2014 24
23
Team of the Year Award
Caroline House: Specialist Neurological
Rehabilitation Inpatients Service
Winner
Runner
up
Care at Home Team (North)
The dedicated Care at Home Team (North) go above and
beyond to provide high quality nursing care, and have had a
positive impact on hundreds of patients since the service was
launched a year ago.
The team of six help prevent unnecessary admissions and make sure
the right support is in place to allow patients in north Norfolk to return
home quickly following a spell in hospital. A vital part of their role
involves making sure people’s wishes are met in their final days, and
they regularly provide valuable end of life care which allows patients to
die in the place of their choice.
Over the past 12 months, they helped 219 people to fulfil their final wish by dying within the comfort of their own home,
while also providing much-needed emotional support to their families and carers. By placing the patient at the heart of
everything they do, they make a real difference to the people using the service.
‘The pride of the NHS’ is how one colleague describes the Specialist Neurological Rehabilitation Inpatients Service
at Caroline House. A strong and effective team, they work together well to provide the best possible care for
patients with complex and sometimes challenging needs.
The team has broken down inter-professional barriers
and developed a shared ownership of the care they
deliver, helping ensure the individual needs of each
patient are met. Highly skilled and always willing to
share their expertise, they have also been recognised
externally after becoming the region’s only tier one
service, able to cater for patients with a higher level
of dependence. This achievement is a testimony to the
respect the team members show to each other and their
dedication to the continued delivery of clinical excellence.
“The team balance their enthusiasm and commitment
to their challenging work with a caring and compassionate
approach to rehabilitation, supporting patients and their
families through very traumatic episodes in their lives,”
said Kate Lee, Senior Specialist Physiotherapist.
“They work very closely to provide a level of
patient-centred multi-disciplinary rehabilitation of
which they can be very proud.”
Tanya Murphy, Assistant Practitioner, added: “The
multidisciplinary team at Caroline House really are unique,
supporting patients through their journey of often total
dependency, to becoming as independent as possible,
following a brain injury.
“Many of our patients require huge levels of practical
intervention as well as physical, emotional and
psychological support. The whole team are united in their
approach, always considering patient preference, dignity,
respect and safety.”
Special mention also goes to the highly skilled Specialist
Neurological Rehabilitation Outreach Team, who use their
expertise to help discharged patients to overcome their
disabilities and regain independence, wherever possible, so
that they can continue to enjoy fulfilling lives. In addition,
they also offer practical and emotional support to families
and carers to help them cope at home and proactively solve
any problems which may arise, no matter how complex.
Mobile Working Project Team
Our Mobile Working Project Team brought together a diverse cross section of professionals
who joined forces to introduce the best possible technology for our clinical teams to use on
the road, in turn supporting the effective delivery of patient care.
Runner
up
By building strong relationships both within our Trust and with external suppliers, the team were able to mitigate potential
issues while making sure clinicians could access SystmOne and other applications quickly. Through close liaison with clinicians,
they ensured the IT would meet the needs of staff working in the community, in turn allowing them to spend more time with
patients while reducing the portion of their shift spent travelling.
As well as bringing benefits to our staff, the initiative has boosted patient
care by allowing clinicians to make real time notes and easily share
information with others. The referral process has also been improved, with
staff now able to liaise with other agencies quickly and effectively at the
point of care.
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Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust, March 2014
To see more photographs from our REACH Awards 2014 gala evening, go to:
www.norfolkcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk/reach-awards-2014-photo-gallery.htm
REACH Awards 2014