Making a Difference - Award Winners

Six wards at Queen’s Hospital Burton that were converted into COVID-19 wards during the peak of the pandemic have this week been recognised with a Team UHDB Award for their dedication and compassion.

Our Acute Assessment Centre, Ward 3, Ward 4, Ward 5, Ward 7 and Ward 8 were all presented with their awards by Executive Managing Director at Burton, Duncan Bedford.  

Acute Assessment Centre was the first red ward at Queen’s Hospital Burton to step into action to help with the fight against COVID-19.

Ward 3, which is usually our Short Stay Unit, was the second red ward at Queen’s Hospital Burton to be turned into a ward to care for COVID-19 patients.  

Sister, Mwansa Mulenga, from Ward 3 said “It feels great that our hard work and effort has been noticed. We’ve had many key achievements throughout the pandemic, but the one I am most proud of is the resilience shown by staff and their ability to adapt so quickly to the ever changing environment we are working in.

Ward 4, Ward 5, Ward 8 and Ward 7 were also recognised for their exceptional care they provided to patients throughout the pandemic.

Over the next few weeks, a number of awards are due to be presented to teams who played a key role in our response to COVID -19, so thank you to you all for your incredible hard work during this time.

If you would like to nominate a colleague or team for a Monthly Making a Difference Award, please let us know!

There are four monthly Making a Difference Awards:

• Chief Executive Award – Chosen by Gavin Boyle
• Patient Hero Award – Nominated by patients
• Team UHDB Award – You can nominate your team or another team 
• Excellent Employee Award – You can nominate your colleagues

A UHDB senior nurse has received a special award for going above and beyond for her colleagues and returning to work in our Intensive Care Unit throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Barbara Day, Head of Professional & Practice Development, was presented with the Trust’s Excellent Employee award after being nominated by a number of her colleagues who praised her excellent leadership and support that she had provided to them and to other departments throughout the pandemic.

One of the nominations read: “Barbara was one of the first to update her skills and return to our Royal Derby Intensive Care Unit to support the team and patients. Whilst working on our ICU, Barbara frequently returned to her team in Learning and Development to support them with the on-going changes and the rolling out of significant amounts of up-skilling training to the wider organisation.”

In addition to supporting teams across Team UHDB, Barbara also launched into getting support for the Trust from her local village. Barbara had tubs and baskets at the end of her driveway collecting hand creams and other useful items for those staff working on the frontline and was at the same time collecting food for delivery to the food bank in Derby, which she delivered on her day off.

Cathy Winfield, Executive Chief Nurse at UHDB presented Barbara with her award to thank her for the work she had done.

After being presented with the award, Barbara was incredibly emotional, she said: “Wow this is such a shock – I totally did not expect this. Thank you so much.”

Our colleagues at our community hospitals across Derbyshire and Staffordshire have played a key role in our fight against Coronavirus; some of them have been thanked with one of our Making a Difference Awards. 

Krishna Kallianpur, Interim Chief Nurse at UHDB, visited Ward 2 at London Road Community Hospital to thank the team for going above and beyond for our patients.

Ward 2 officially opened in January 2020 and since opening, the team have excelled at providing end of life care.

The team, led by Senior Sister, Dawn Wilkinson, have also carried out six months of making their own syringe drivers which has significantly cut down the time patients are waiting for pain relief. Our Nightingale Macmillan Unit Team are also starting to implement this in their department at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Whilst visiting the team at London Road, Krishna Kallianpur presented them with a surprise “Team UHDB” Making a Difference Award – it was an emotional moment for many of the staff after months of hard work to get the ward to where it is today.

Darren Spencer, Registered Nurse, said: “Although it is a new team and a new ward, it is the best team I've ever worked with and the best ward I've been on since qualifying.”

Our colleagues at our community hospitals across Derbyshire and Staffordshire have played a key role in our fight against Coronavirus; some of them have been thanked with one of our Making a Difference Awards. 

Krishna Kallianpur, Interim Chief Nurse at UHDB, visited Kings Lodge at London Road Community Hospital to thank the team for going above and beyond for our patients, especially throughout the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Kings Lodge is a specialist unit for the rehabilitation of adults who have a Neurological condition. This may involve physical impairment and/or communication difficulties and/or cognitive difficulties (memory, problem solving, processing skills, concentration).

Krishna Kallianpur presented the team with a “Team UHDB” award for providing exceptional care to our patients and supporting them throughout their Coronavirus Recovery.

The team, based at London Road Community Hospital, have played a vital role in supporting patients who are recovering from Coronavirus and coming to terms with the impact the virus has had on both their body and mind. While rest is important to recovery, it is also essential that our patients are as active as they can be to rebuild their strength, this also helps their lungs to recover.

Our Children’s Team at Queen’s Hospital Burton have been recognised for the exceptional care and dedication they have provided to our younger patients throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

In response to Covid-19, we combined our children’s services, bringing together our skilled workforces at Royal Derby Hospital and Queens’s Hospital Burton to provide safe care to children across Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

This week, the Children’s Team have returned to Queen’s Hospital Burton and have begun to reopen, following a temporary relocation to Royal Derby Hospital throughout the pandemic.

To thank the team for the work they have done throughout the pandemic; relocating sites, working with new teams, adapting to new surroundings, Duncan Bedford, Executive Managing Director at QHB visited the team on their first day back to the department to present them with a Team UHDB Making a Difference Award.

Vicki Baldwin, Matron for Paediatric inpatients, added: “The team have done brilliantly and adapted to everything that has been thrown at them. It hasn’t always been plain sailing but I am proud of them for what they have achieved throughout these difficult times.”