Trust celebrates outstanding contribution of three long-serving nurses
Three of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust’s longest serving nurses received the chief nursing officer for England’s silver award this week.
The awards were presented on Monday following a special surprise lunch at the trust’s Queen’s Hospital in Romford, one of its main sites.
“Thank you for your incredible work, you’ve really made strides”
Deborah Sturdy
Juliet Kumar, Caroline Moore and Tracey Thorne did not know they would be receiving the award or that members of their family had been secretly invited to attend the presentation.
Ms Thorne, who started her career at the trust 35 years ago, was nominated for her involvement in the development of its ward accreditation scheme, which aims to improve and standardise care.
She said: “I am absolutely gobsmacked and I can’t tell you how proud I am to receive this award, it’s just amazing.
“You can’t do it without your teams and your family. I was nursing when my children were young, so you do miss out on things,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ms Kumar was 19 when she moved from Malaysia to train at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals. Her nomination recognised her dedication during the pandemic.
This included developing an oxygen receiving unit in just 24 hours to care for Covid-19 patients who required continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or high-flow oxygen.
Attributing her success to her supportive family, Ms Kumar, the trust’s director of nursing for frailty, said: “I feel totally overwhelmed and didn’t expect this.
“My life has been about my work and my patients, providing excellent care and making a difference. I couldn’t have done it if my family hadn’t been so supportive.
“I’ve stayed at our trust for my entire career as I love the people and I love my job. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I have been on a journey with many of my colleagues and built relationships.”
Ms Moore, a nurse for 40 years who has spent 33 of them at the trust, was recognised for her exceptional contribution, including reducing vacancy rates in her division by a huge 24%.
She said: “I am overwhelmed and proud, what an honour to have been nominated. I’m shocked my family and best friends were able to keep this a secret.
“I feel incredibly lucky; I’ve had the best career with the best people,” she said. “This trust is the place to be. I love it and I’ve made lifelong friends here.”
Juliet Kumar, Kathryn Halford, Tracey Thorne and Caroline Moore
The awards were presented by trust chief nurse Kathryn Halford, on behalf of Deborah Sturdy, England’s chief nurse for adult social care, who attended the presentation virtually.
Ms Sturdy said: “There are exceptional people among us who shine a light on what’s fantastic about nursing. You’ve all shown exceptional leadership.
“Thank you for your incredible work, you’ve really made strides,” she added.
The CNO Awards were developed to reward the significant and outstanding contribution made to nursing practice by nurses in England. Similar schemes are in place for midwives and support staff.
Introduced in 2019 by CNO for England Dame Ruth May, nurses and midwives can be nominated for either silver or gold awards (see box for criteria).
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals provides services in East London and Essex. It runs King George Hospital in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford.
The trust also operates clinics at a number of sites in the nearby area including Barking Hospital and Brentwood Community Hospital.
CNO silver awards: criteria (NHS England)
- The silver award recognises performance that goes above and beyond the expectations of the everyday role that the nurse or midwife is expected to perform in their current role.
- Nurses or midwives who demonstrate excellence in clinical practice; education, research, patient and carer experience, leadership, tackling diversity and health inequalities. In the case of midwives, supporting women, newborns and families.
- Demonstrates leadership in the development of services for patients resulting in improvement of service provision performance.
- Provides consistently outstanding care which is recognised by a patient or service user and colleagues.
- Champions diversity and inclusion in clinical practice and with colleagues.
- Demonstrates clinical leadership in their area of practice, this can be evidenced in leading teams or delivery of care.
