Compassionate care awards for NHS staff
FOUR members of staff from NHS Ayrshire & Arran have been revealed as the latest recipients of the Isabella Kimmett Compassionate Care Award.
The award is handed out twice a year, and celebrates nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, GP and care home staff who have shown compassionate care qualities.
The award winners all demonstrated highly compassionate and personcentred care through their various and diverse roles working for the health board.
THEY are...
Karen Toussaint-Boden,a perioperative care coordinator, who works in active clinical surveillance at the pre-operative assessment unit at University Hospital Crosshouse.
Karen supports patients who are awaiting surgery to ensure they are prepared and fit for their procedure.
Ross MacDonald is a mental health staff nurse at Woodland View Hospital in Irvine.
Ross has supported colleagues, fellow students and family members following the deaths of two mental health nursing students, honouring their memory by arranging benches in their names to be sited in the grounds at Woodland View.
The benches have been a focal point for family members, friends and colleagues.
Arlene Gibbons and
Lynsey Boyd, who are both paediatric senior staff nurses based at Rainbow House, Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine.
They were both recognised for the high level of care, support and compassion for children and families who have a child who has life limiting illness or palliative and end of life care needs.
The winners were presented with their awards by Jacqueline Thomson, daughter of the late Isabella Kimmett, while Jennifer Wilson, NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s nursing director, was also present to congratulate each of the recipients.
Ms Wilson said: “We endeavour to embed the principles of compassion and person-centred care in all of our services.
“Each of these staff members exemplifies these core characteristics and I applaud them for the valuable contribution they make to our organisation and the lives of local patients and their families.
“These awards are well deserved and my congratulations and heartfelt thanks go to each of the worthy recipients.”
The awards were initiated by Jacqueline in memory of her late mother in a bid to drive up standards in the NHS.
Back in 2015, Jacqueline described how she had “personally witnessed several serious issues of neglect” in the care given to her mother by NHS staff in Ayrshire in the final days of her life two years earlier.
If you know someone who deserves to be awarded for the quality of their compassionate care, you can nominate them by emailing compassionatecareaward@aapct. scot.nhs.uk and asking for a nomination form.
The health board says it’s happy to take nominations from patients, family members and colleagues.