The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Awards night special
The dedicated medical professionals who go above and beyond to help patients in Peterborough were recognised at a glittering awards ceremony.
The 2017 Hospital Heroes chosen by patients at Peterborough City Hospital were announced at the special ceremony held on Friday evening at Peterborough’s Marriott Hotel hosted by former BBC Cambridgeshire presenter Paul Stainton.
Readers of the Peterborough Telegraph and the Stamford Mercury voted for their hospital heroes and this year saw a huge number of entries from readers.
Staff from Peterborough City Hospital joined their colleagues from Hinchingbrooke and Stamford Hospitals to celebrate their first Outstanding Achievement Awards of the newly-formed North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust.
Charge Nurse Pedro Caetano was named Peterborough City Hospital Hero 2017 for the outstanding care and compassion he showed to the family of a patient who was in his last days of life.
The family nominated Pedro for what they considered to be care above and beyond the call of duty – especially since he made a point of returning from his last shift before going off to get married to say his own goodbye to the family and the patient.
Consultant Diabetologist Dr Samson Oyibo was highly commended by a patient for whom he has cared for the past 10 years.
The patient even noted that Dr Oyibo supported them with long-distance telephone consultations while the patient was away at university, and this support meant they could maintain as normal a life as possible despite their condition.
Pedro and Samson were not the only Peterborough City Hospital staff members to walk away with awards at the event, which was attended by 120 staff members from across the three hospitals.
The PCH security team won Team of the Year for the way they calmed a potentially volatile situation with a patient, and the Orthodontic and Oral Surgery Team were highly commended for coping expertly with an equipment breakdown in the department which ensured patient care was not disrupted.
Ward tracker Sue Exton won Unsung Hero for the support she gives to work experience students and midwife Gerry Wells was highly commended for her off-duty actions to revive a woman who suffered a cardiac arrest while on a fairground ride in the city earlier in the year.
Ward manager Sophie Cushieri won the Putting Patients First award for leading her ward team in arranging the wedding of a terminally ill patient in his final days.
Healthcare Assistant Holly Speech ley won the Caring and Compassionate award for the lengths she went to in order to reassure a very nervous patient having their firstever stay in hospital.
Palliative Care Nurse Specialists Anne Marie Drury and Bev Goose were highly commended in the same category for their efforts fulfilling the wishes of a patient who had received an unexpected terminal diagnosis and just wanted to go home to see his beloved garden one last time.
Consultant anaesthetist Dr Donata Banni was awarded the Actively Respectful award for devising a way to ease the anxiety of young patients undergoing a general anaesthetic. Coronary Care Ward host Munir Cande was highly commended in the same category for the care he takes with patients to ensure their meal times are enjoyable
- A team made up of staff from sections within the Trust’s accounting department were highly commended in the Working Together award for the long hours they put in to ensure the Trust’s statutory annual accounts were submitted ahead of deadline.
Nurse recruitment project officer Sabrina Galietti won the Improve and Develop award for organising the first Peterborough City Hospital recruitment event earlier in the year. Staff Nurses Ellie Stafford and Emma Thompson won the highly commended in the same award for passing a care of spinal injuries course and then going on to deliver the training to their ward colleagues.
Rob Hughes, chairman of North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our staff give us reasons to be proud every day and this event helped showcase that fact.
“It was fantastic to be able to bring all our staff together to say thank you for the great things they do for our patients.
“I was particularly pleased to honour our Peterborough City Hospital Heroes. We received lots of nominations for PCH staff and showcased them all on the night.
“Thank you to those patients and their families who took the time to nominate. Some of the stories of the level of care given completely blew our judging panel away.”
Peterborough Telegraph editor Mark Edwards said: “It’s a great privilege to be able to help highlight some of the truly outstanding people who give so much to care for patients.
“These people really go far beyond the call of duty when it comes to care and support, and their skills and professionalism are incredible.
“We all owe a tremendous debt to the army of healthcare professionals who work so hard to care for the people of Peterborough, and this year’s high number of nominations shows just how much that care is appreciated.”
The Hospital Heroes for Hinchingbrooke and Stamford Hospitals were also announced on the night. They were:
HinchingbrookeHospital Hero 2017 – Midwife Vicky Bennett - Hinchingbrooke Hospital Hero Highly Commended – Consultant Paediatrician Dr Nik Johnson
Stamford and Rutland Hospital Hero 2017 – Consultant Dermatologist Dr Vanessa Smith
The awards ceremony was held at the Marriott Hotel, Peterborough on Friday 20 October and was hosted by Paul Stainton of PS Media. The event was sponsored by Mitie, System C, Multiplex and Unison.