Addenbrooke's Hospital
Research and Development
The Rosie Hospital
You made a difference:
October award winners
October 2011
60 nominations were considered for October's award.
The winners were Helio Mendes, housekeeper, and Carol McQuade, breast nurse practitioner.
Helio Mendes
Helio (also known as Bruno) joined Medirest two years ago as a housekeeper and has always worked on ward N3. His role involves helping to clean bed spaces and serving meals and drinks to our patients.
Helio Mendes receives his award from Dr Archer
In the hope of furthering his career with Medirest, he is also studying for an NVQ in customer service.
Helio received four nominations, and since being chosen as a You Made a Difference winner, he received a further three nominations.
The nominations came in from patients, their relatives and other staff members and include the following comments:
- "Helio is respectful, polite and efficient."
- "He is attentive and always smiles."
- "He is someone who 'goes the extra mile' to ensure that patients receive the food they like."
- Helio was also described as "an ambassador for his department."
One of his nominations came from the senior sister for ward N3, Diane Payne, who said: "Bruno is a highly conscientious member of the N3 team – he always goes that extra mile for the patients. This is reflected in recent comment cards and on a daily basis I receive positive comments about him.
"He has the amazing ability of being able to encourage patients to eat when no-one else can! Bruno deserves the recognition a 'You Made a Difference' award would bring.
" Dr Archer echoed these sentiments by confirming the importance of having housekeepers, saying: "Your role is essential, and a good housekeeper knows their patient's wishes and needs."
Once presented with his award, Helio commented: "It is good to be recognised. I didn't expect to win – I am just doing my job and treat people the same every day. It is really nice to win."
Carol McQuade
Carol McQuade with her team
Carol will be celebrating fifteen years with the Trust on Friday 4 November. She joined the palliative care unit and became ward manager before taking up her current post as an oncology breast nurse practitioner in 2004.
She currently manages a caseload of patients referred to oncology for the oncological management of breast cancer. She also runs a nurse led lymphoedema clinic providing a pivotal role in supporting patients and carers through their cancer journey.
Carol has received three nominations since the scheme began – one in 2009, one in 2010, and her winning nomination in 2011. All three nominations were from relatives or patients and included the following comments:
- "I was extremely impressed with Carol's kindness, expertise and professionalism." (2009)
- "Carol was so approachable, caring and polite. She never made me feel that I was wasting her time with all my questions and I thought of her as a friend as well as a nurse." (2010)
The winning nomination, chosen by the You made a Difference panel members, was sent in by a relative of a patient who is currently undergoing treatment. Her nomination reads:
"Carol cares very much about the welfare of her patients. She is available on the phone to answer queries and to make or change appointments and she always returns calls.
"My mum has had a relapse of breast cancer and Carol was the person who first suspected a new problem on a routine check. She acted upon it straight away and has been involved in all treatments and follow-up care for my mum. She is like a good friend and she knows all patients by name.
"When we attend appointments she always comes and says hello when she sees us, even if she is not the attending nurse in the consultation. She is always cheery and positive too.
"When mum's last treatment had a bad side effect, and the alternative was chemotherapy, mum was devastated and said she wouldn't do it. Carol took time to talk us through the process and showed us the chemotherapy suite. She was both empathetic and sympathetic, allowing mum to make decisions in her own time. Mum is now having treatment and doing well.
"Carol seems to love her job and is very good at it."
On receiving her award, Carol said: "I am touched that so many people have turned up today. I was racking my brain trying to work out who had nominated me, and I am overwhelmed that the nomination came from that particular family.
"I really do love my job. I work with a fantastic team and couldn't do it without them."
The other nominations for October 2011 were:
Linda Allars, Medical Secretary, Clinic 2a
for always being polite, friendly and going out of her way to help organise and fax through blood test results
Mark Allen, HCA, C4
for helping a patient to feel calm and comfortable throughout their stay
Dr Vian Azzu, Foundation House Officer, Hepatology
for being organised, communicating brilliantly and going that extra mile to ensure patients' needs are met
Alison Bagstaff, Midwife, Delivery Unit, The Rosie
for being welcoming, reassuring and clear with instructions
Dr Rhiannon Beaumont, ST2, Speciality Registrar, Obs & Gynae
for being very gentle and kind
Stephen Bradley, Clinical Trials Research Nurse, Oncology Outpatients
for being a helpful and dedicated professional
Julie Brooker, Midwife, Delivery Unit, The Rosie
for being encouraging, genuinely caring and taking swift control of a situation
Dr William Brown, Speciality Registrar, C5
for providing excellent support on C5 and for always being willing to help
Bridget Chalk, Senior Nurse, ATC-Recovery
for being very supportive and helping a colleague during a busy time
Gladys Chitakatira, Nurse, Occupational Health
for listening, being patient and treating people as individuals
Sophie Clements, Midwife, Delivery Unit, The Rosie
for providing support, care and knowledge with the ability to always say and do the right thing at all times
Carol Collings, Junior Sister, M4
for showing much kindness, sympathy, understanding and gentleness to a frightened patient
Joanne Cox, Occupational Therapist, Occupational Therapy
for possessing excellent communication skills by being friendly, patient and tactful
Victoria Crawcour, Student, Midwife, Lady Mary Ward, The Rosie
for possessing a pleasant professionalism and working tirelessly to ensure all patients were comfortable and well informed
Jennifer Dursoniah, Cleaner, Medirest (5 nominations)
for being friendly, helpful and always maintaining very high standards
Peter Espanol, Staff Nurse, C5
for being a team player by assisting with clinical observation when necessary
Mhairi Galbraith, Medical Student
for always making a patient feel better
Lynette Gayfer, Visual Impairment Liaison Co-ordinator, Ophthalmology
for always being kind and helpful, with nothing ever being too much trouble
Emma Glover, Divisional Head of Finance, Finance
for demonstrating incredible efficiency when producing financial reports
Nicola Goodwin, Administrator, Staff Bank (2 nominations)
for being very helpful and always offering service with a smile and for being supportive, approachable and always willing to help
Kim Grigsby, Clinical Lead, Deputy Manager - Clinical Support, ATC Theatres
for providing exceptional support to a colleague
Jane Halliday, Midwifery Sister, The Rosie
for working fast yet remaining calm and never showing any signs of panic
Maggs Hamilton, Staff Nurse, Emergency Department
for recognising a patient's needs and for making sure he was comfortable
Sally Howes, Midwife Sonographer, The Rosie
for making a patient's experience very enjoyable
Alex Jonson, Clinical Trials Nurse, Oncology
for giving good advice and always being helpful and kind
Janet Latimer, Midwife, Post Delivery Unit
for being truly professional, extremely caring, encouraging and reassuring
Elizabeth Malubay, HCA, L4 (2 nominations)
for being friendly, helpful and attentive and also for helping a patient get over their fear of hospitals
Dr Danish Mazhar, Consultant, Medical Oncology, D9
for being an excellent supervisor, mentor and career advisor by encouraging and supporting a new member of staff
George Mihai, Staff Nurse, EAU4 - Acute Medicine for the Elderly
for treating a patient as an individual
Kelly Muncaster, HCA, G4
for showing real care and understanding and for being cheerful
Malwina Paulus, Recruitment and Administration Co-ordinator, Oncology
for being really supportive and enthusiastic
Freda Pilsworth, Clerical Officer, Radiotherapy Dept
for always being kind, helpful and willing to sort out any queries or problems
Charlotte Richardson, Staff Nurse, M4
for being very supportive and helpful to the whole team
Terri Robinson, HCA, K2
for being reassuring, calming and very competent
Jennifer Rowe, Senior Physiotherapist, Physiotherapy
for teaching a patient to be independent again
Sheila Shorter, HCA, N3
for being quick to respond to a patient's emotional needs in a caring and comforting way
Claire Sidaway, Biomedical Scientist/Transfusion Practitioner, Haematology
for being a very helpful member of staff with a friendly disposition who always responds to problems immediately
Dr David Simmons, Consultant, Endocrinology and Diabetes
for being understanding, flexible and direct
Vanessa Skitt, Porter, Estates & Facilities
for being friendly, courteous and contributing to the smooth running of the Radiotherapy department
Lucy Taylor, Midwife, Lady Mary Ward, The Rosie
for displaying qualities of patience, understanding, knowledge and humour when supporting a new member of staff
Jo Treeby, Urology Superintendent, Radiotherapy Dept
for being a supportive and invaluable colleague who always gives her best to every patient
Mary Ward, Senior Manager/Ergonomist, Occupational Health (4 nominations)
for playing an integral role in the development of the new Occupational Health building
Victoria Williams, HCA, F4
for always smiling, being mindful of the dignity of patients and always taking time to listen to their worries and concerns
Judith Willows, Manager, Surgery
for always being helpful, efficient and cheerful
Clarence Yapo, Staff Nurse, PSSU (D5) (2 nominations)
for being caring, pleasant and good company and also for providing excellent care
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Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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Cambridge CB2 0QQ
Tel: 01223 245 151
