Local healthcare workers have been honoured at a glittering ceremony celebrating exceptional and inspirational NHS Lothian staff. The annual ‘Celebrating Success Awards’ took place on Wednesday (13 June), at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, praising the hard-working NHS Lothian employees who give their heart and soul to deliver outstanding care to patients.
Rachael Capaldi, staff nurse in Coronary Care at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh won the prestigious Health Hero award voted for by members of the public and sponsored by the Evening News. One of her nominators said: “She works very hard and gives one hundred per cent to her patients every day, always putting others first. Rachael is kind, compassionate and goes above and beyond her call of duty, and I wanted to demonstrate just how valuable her support has been to me and my family – we truly admire her for the fantastic nurse she is.”
Staff nurse Rachael was one of ten NHS Lothian teams and staff members to collect awards at the special ceremony, which was hosted by Forth One’s Arlene Stuart.
A new category introduced this year is Young Achiever Award which aims to showcase an individual member of staff, such as a student/junior nurse, student/junior doctor, apprentice, trainee from any clinical or non-clinical discipline aged between 16 and 30 years, who demonstrates NHS Lothian’s values and shows outstanding dedication, commitment, excellent judgement, drive and initiative.
Brian Houston, Chairman of NHS Lothian said: “No one who works for NHS Lothian can be in any doubt about the remarkable work of our staff and this event helps us to showcase the excellence in patient care that takes place every day and to say thank you to our staff for their selfless commitment to patients and their families.
“To be nominated is an enormous feat and regardless of who is the outright winner in each category, all our finalists are winners. It is a humbling experience and I am proud of our staff and to be part of our organisation. I would like to say congratulations and well done to all those who took part.”
Jim Crombie, Interim Chief Executive, NHS Lothian, said: “The Celebrating Success Awards is a truly inspiring event which provides us with the perfect platform to recognise staff who excel in delivering high quality, patient-centred care every day, highlighting the very best of NHS Lothian.
“Our annual Awards help us to demonstrate how highly we value and appreciate our staff who are the backbone of NHS Lothian. I congratulate all of our finalists for their outstanding achievements and steadfast support day in and day out.”
Next year NHS Lothian’s staff awards will celebrate its tenth anniversary with plans to mark the occasion by introducing new awards.
And the winners are –
Health Hero Award – sponsored by Edinburgh Evening News
Winner: Rachael Capaldi, Staff Nurse, Coronary Care, Wards 103/114, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, was hailed for going above and beyond giving one hundred per cent to her patients every day.
The only publicly nominated category – the Health Hero award gives members of the public the opportunity to honour a healthcare worker who has delivered exceptional service and gone above and beyond, offering the best patient care.
Young Achiever
Winner: Hayley Wilson, Recruitment Administrator, St John’s Hospital – praised for regularly going the extra mile to assist her colleagues across the wider recruitment team and offering support to the recruitment of modern apprentices and Princes Trust students.
A new award for 2018. In this category, the judges were looking for individuals eg student/junior nurse, student/junior doctor, apprentice, trainee from any clinical or non-clinical discipline aged between 16 and 30 years, who demonstrates NHS Lothian’s values, shows exceptional patient-centred care and dedication and commitment to developing themselves.
Leadership Excellence – sponsored by the University of Edinburgh
Winner: Dr Alexandra Peterson, Medicine of the Elderly, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, who is currently a Foundation Year 2 doctor, stood out for her innovation and inspirational idea of developing a ‘peer mentoring’ service to Foundation Year 1 doctors by Foundation Year 2 doctors.
This Award aims to identify a member of staff who excels at teaching, sharing their knowledge and expertise with students, junior team members or colleagues. This award is for someone who really understands the importance of reassuring and supporting staff, takes responsibility for imparting knowledge and sharing advice and who encompasses our core values to act as a positive role model.
Best Example of Innovation, Quality and Productivity
Winner: Mark Gaston, Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Royal Hospital for Sick Children is responsible for establishing the Cerebral Palsy Integrated Pathway Scotland which brings huge benefits for children with lower limb cerebral palsy in all 14 health boards.
This award recognises staff or teams who have taken steps to improve working practices and service within their department, in order to benefit fellow staff or patients through the implementation of a new system or programme.
Lynn Jackson Nurse of the Year
Winner: Jacqueline Brown, Deputy Charge Nurse, Ward 4, Western General Hospital received this award for being an exceptional role model providing outstanding patient care and inspiring staff to go the extra mile.
This award is given to a nurse who has shown an exceptional level of care and compassion in his/her work and displays a selfless way of working, putting others’ needs before their own.
The Voluntary Service Award
Winner: Marion Robinson, Play Volunteer, Neurology Ward, Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Was praised for her commitment to bringing some fun into children’s lives as well as offering support to the families on the ward. Marion has been a volunteer for 17 years.
This award recognises the outstanding individuals and teams who give up their time to help improve the health and wellbeing of patients, service users and their families and carers in Lothian.
Staff Member of the Year sponsored by Edinburgh Napier University
Winner: Susan Polland, Senior Charge Midwife, Day Assessment Unit, St John’s Hospital is widely regarded as a member of staff who provides amazing support and inspiration to both patients and staff while having overcome personal health challenges.
This award is for staff members who go above-and-beyond. The individual should be committed to person-centred care, have a positive influence on colleagues, patients and individuals, and be a constant and effective contributor to their team.
Team of the Year – sponsored by UNISON – Lothian Health Branch
Winner: Braids Ward, (an intensive mental health rehabilitation ward) Royal Edinburgh Hospital, for capturing the essence of patient-centred care through a rigorous
multi-disciplinary team approach that truly encapsulates NHS Lothian’s values.
In this category, the judges were looking for a team that has demonstrated an excellent performance throughout the year, where there has been key engagement between managers and clinical staff, evidence of improved outcomes for patients and evidence of patient involvement influencing performance.
Respect for Others
Winner: Elaine Nicol, Health Records Manager, St John’s Hospital, was singled out for her respectful attitude she shows to all her staff everyday and for continually ensuring their wellbeing through clear and regular communications.
This award was looking for a staff member or team which actively tries to identify with a group of patients or staff who are perhaps hard to reach or difficult to identify and who strive to work with these groups to encourage inclusion and equality, be that in healthcare or the working environment.
Caring Champion of the Year
Winner: Richard Johnson, Nursing Assistant, Ward 1A, Roodlands Hospital won this award for striving for excellence in his dealings with patients and staff everyday and for the depth of care and compassion he shows to those he helps to care for.
In this category, judges were looking to find a member of staff who shows an exceptional level of care and compassion in his or her work, are committed to creating a welcoming and happy environment and who display a selfless way of working putting other’s needs before their own.
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