Vote for your Healthcare Hero
Each year Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recognises dedicated staff and volunteers with a special awards ceremony.
The Trust’s Thank You Awards, which has been running for 14 years, celebrates individuals and teams that go above and beyond the call of duty to care for patients.
This year, in conjunction with The Sheffield Star, the Trust is asking you to vote for a Healthcare Hero – an exceptional staff member or team who has made a real difference, either in hospital or the community.
The shortlisted nominees are profiled below. To vote for the person who you think should win the award, email their name to thankyouawards@sth.nhs.uk and the nominee with the most votes will be chosen as the winner.
The deadline for submitting your vote is Monday, October 30th.
Click here to check out the Sheffield Star feature!
The Thank You Awards are kindly sponsored by Sheffield Hospitals Charity, the NHS charity that helps patients being treated for almost every condition across all the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals sites.
Catherine Hardwick, Staff Nurse, Ophthalmology
Catherine has been the driving force behind the Ophthalmology Best Interest Clinic, which enables patients with disabilities or cognitive problems who need surgery to be assessed without the need for repeated hospital visits.
She has been nominated for championing the cause of these patients, finding out their social arrangements and speaking to family and carers to get a complete picture of the issues to be addressed.
She brings together members of the community team, consultants, clerical team and specialties like hearing services and community dental services to ensure all patient needs are met. This coordination helps to ensure that all different needs are met without unnecessary delays or repeat hospital visits.
Consultant Ophthalmologist Zanna Currie said: “Catherine is a true champion of patient needs. This is her project and its success is now a beacon for the Trust, delivering high quality, individualised care.”
Mr Paul Skinner, Consultant Surgeon
Paul was nominated for the care he offered to a patient who was diagnosed with bowel cancer and a tumour on his kidney.
He was praised for his communication with the family, his warm and professional manner and for coordinating the surgery so both the bowel and kidney could be operated on at the same time.
The surgery was successful and the patient given the all-clear with no follow-up therapy required.
The patient’s daughter said: “Paul always put my dad first. He made effective decisions, coordinated and kept things on track showing great leadership with his colleagues and team.
“He delivered – one dad with two cancers completely removed within 12 weeks, back to his ever grateful family. “
Cheryl Matthews, Manager, Sheffield Dialysis Unit
Cheryl has been nominated for her dedication to developing and improving this outpatient service, the care she offers to patients and the support she offers to staff.
She has a passion for nursing and greets every patient personally, while her door is always open to discuss any issues they may have.
She has supported the Shard Care project which has seen staff working with patients to give them the confidence to use a dialysis machine and insert fistula needles to help them take control of their own treatment.
She includes staff in all the day-to-day activities of the Unit, attending every morning handover, discussing ideas or problems, feeding back information and supporting staff in undertaking training or development opportunities.
In her nomination, Cheryl was described as “going above and beyond for patients and staff.”
Mr Muzzammil Nusrath, Maxillofacial/ Head & Neck/Reconstructive Surgeon
Mr Nusrath was nominated by patient Rhys Eales in recognition of the treatment he gave him for a rare tumour on his jaw.
Rhys underwent a 14 hour operation, performed by Mr Nusrath, to remove the tumour and rebuild the right jaw bone using bone from his fibula.
Rhys said: “When my operation was over at around 10-11 pm after a very long and what I believe to be very tiring 14 hours, the first thing he did was call my wife to say I was doing fine and to say everything went as planned, which he didn't have to do but did which my family thought was very caring.
“Even though I have had extensive surgery, if I didn’t tell you what had been done you wouldn’t know. Everyone is amazed, and although my journey is far from over and there is still months of recovering needed, I feel very comfortable in what I’ve achieved with his help.
“I cannot thank him enough for what he has done for me and my family. He has not only done what he promised he has done more. He is a credit to the NHS.”
Michelle Kent, Housekeeper
Michelle was nominated for putting her mandatory hospital training into action when she performed CPR on a member of the public.
Michelle was in her local bank when a customer collapsed. She checked to see if the man was breathing, and when she discovered he wasn’t started CPR.
Nobody else in the bank knew how to perform CPR, but thanks to Michelle’s quick thinking the man survived. He was then cared for on the Intensive Care Unit at the Northern General Hospital, where Michelle works.
Michelle’s experience shows the value of CPR training for staff, no matter what their role.
Gillian Thirsk, Head of Domestic Services
Gill has worked for the NHS since 1973, and during her 44 year career in the NHS she has undertaken a number of roles including Domestic Supervisor, Assistant Domestic Services Manager, Deputy Hotel Services Manager, Head of Portering & Transport, and Head of Domestic Services & Residences.
She is passionate about Domestic Services and the quality of service it provides. Under her leadership, the department has adopted new technologies for cleaning and infection control purposes and the electronic recording of cleanliness audits.
She provides strong and visible leadership for the department, and is a big advocate of development opportunities for her team. She always informs staff of successes and contributions to the Trust.
Her nomination said: “Gill’s passion for the service motivates others to bring about change and improvement.
“It’s impossible to convey all Gill contributes to her staff, department and the Trust. She is incredibly dedicated and deserves this recognition.”
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