All Star Awards recognise brave intervention that saved baby’s life

On Friday 11 October, we celebrated our All Star Awards. The evening provided the opportunity to share the inspirational stories of our people, who go the extra mile each and every day.

Health Visitor, Linda Price, received the Excellence in Practice award, amid strong competition, for actions that helped to save the life of an 11 day old baby.

Whilst Linda was conducting a routine new birth visit at the home of a local family, the baby turned blue and became unresponsive. As the only medical professional at the scene, she calmed the parents and provided basic life support for the baby. After ten minutes the baby began breathing again and was brought to hospital by ambulance.

Linda’s prompt and appropriate actions may well have saved the life of this baby, who is now thriving.

Our other fantastic winners included Ajai Zutshi who was awarded Volunteer/Partner of the Year. Ajai is a volunteer HealthMaker facilitator and has been praised for the fantastic and unwavering support he provides to attendees and the Healthmakers Team.

Our Respect for Everyone Award went to Therapy Assistant, Kerrie McDowell for her dedication and passion to end of life care, in making sure patients and their families are comforted and treated with dignity and kindness.

Team of the Year (Non Clinical) went to the Prospect Park Hospital Bed Management Team, who have worked hard to improve patient flow through the hospital, implementing new processes which, as a result, have been able to save the Trust almost one million pounds.

Team of the Year (Clinical) went to the Berkshire Health Visiting team. Across the whole service and through local projects, the Health Visiting service has worked innovatively to improve services amidst great challenges.

Leader of the Year was awarded to Rebecca Chester, a Consultant Nurse who provides support and leadership to the Community Teams for People with a Learning Disability. In 2018 Rebecca was awarded with an MBE for her services to people with learning disabilities. She is also the Chair of the UK Learning Disability Nurse Consultant Network.

Employee of the Year (Non Clinical) went to Christine Stockwell, a Therapy Assistant, working with the neurological team at West Berkshire Community Hospital. Christine has been involved in many projects to improve the environment and care for her patients, and has been instrumental in transforming Donnington Ward garden into a national award winning therapy garden.Employee of the Year (clinical) went to Jane Knowles and Dr Pamela Reeves who received equal points in the judging.

• Dr Pamela Reeves was celebrated for always going the extra mile as a clinician and as a leader, focusing on the growth and wellbeing of staff, alongside prioritising getting best outcomes for our patients.
• Learning Disability nurse, Jane Knowles was commended for her commitment to improving experience for patients. She introduced a pager system in the outpatients of the local acute hospital to allow patients with a learning disability to wait for their appointments somewhere quieter, helping them to feel less anxious.