Three nominees have been short-listed as finalists in the Community Award category for the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust's 2012 Extra Mile, Excellence and Innovation Awards and patients, staff and the public are being asked to vote for their overall winner.
Following well over 100 nominations over the summer, the three finalists for the Community Award are:
Palliative Care Discharge Team
Mary Parrett, Epilepsy Nurse Specialist
The Stroke Care Team
The Palliative Care Discharge Team is specialist nurses Lorna Wood and Wendy Williams. Lorna and Wendy have been nominated for their dedication to caring for patients nearing the end of life to meet their wishes and those of their families. Both work hard to speed up the discharge process from hospital, often faced with putting in place a complex range of support services and other needs within a short space of time. The respect and strong working relationships they have developed within RCHT and among community and social care colleagues are a key part of their success, as is the support they provide for families at a very difficult time in their lives. Their work means that many more people in Cornwall are able to die in their place of choice, be that at home or in hospice care.
Mary Parrett, Epilepsy Nurse Specialist – Mary has been the specialist epilepsy in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly since 1999 and is always 'just a phone call away' for around 1400 patients. Mary runs regular clinics at locations across the county, managing the care of newly diagnosed patients and those living with epilepsy. Mary has put huge personal effort into building up the service since she began and has been the driving force behind the establishment of a support group for patients and families. She has been nominated by a number of her patients who have remarked on her support, help and extensive knowledge, as well as her energy and sense of humour which all play such an important part in helping them to live with their epilepsy.
The Stroke Care Team involves all of the staff – including doctors, nurses, therapists, and healthcare support workers - providing stroke care at RCHT from the point a patient arrives at hospital with a suspected stroke, to their discharge home or to a community setting. Over the past two years the team has achieved outstanding results in improving stroke care in Cornwall, enabling faster diagnosis and quicker access to specialist care during the critical early stages after a stroke. Innovations such as mini-stroke clinics, 24/7 thrombolysis treatment and early supported discharge to offer patients the support needed to recover in the familiar surroundings of their own homes are together pushing towards the gold standard in stroke care.
To vote for any of the finalists, call Sandra Meer or Deborah Barlow on 018782 253470 with the name of your chosen winner or email Caroline Vinnicombe at: caroline.vinnicombe@rcht.cornwall.nhs.uk
The Extra Mile, Excellence and Innovation Awards are an annual opportunity to recognise just some of the unsung heroes working at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, both on the front-line of clinical care and those working behind the scenes.
Each of the short-listed teams in the Community Award category have been invited to the presentation evening on 1st November where the overall winner will be announced. Closing date for votes is Wednesday 31st October 2012.
