NGH PEOPLE 1 W
Belinda Holloway, our community children’s nursing team’s lead nurse, retired from NGH after a nursing career of almost 40 years. Belinda set up and managed a small team of nurses who visit families across South Northants to support children with long term health problems, many of which are life-limiting. Belinda, who won the Outstanding Contribution Award at our Best Possible Care Awards in 2014, said: “Looking back, the best things for me have been the people I work with, and of course working with children I’ve loved. I know it’s corny, but it’s all about making a difference when people’s lives are really tough.”
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Staff nurse Judith Bomben has retired from her full time role on Gosset ward where, apart from a threeyear break for training, she spent all of her 32 years at NGH. Judith said: “I’ve looked after premature babies who have then grown up and gone on to have babies of their own, and who I’ve also looked after here on the ward. So I’ve seen two generations! The best thing is seeing parents go home with their babies, and it’s lovely when they stay in contact and come back to see us. We have some very supportive fundraisers too, and it’s nice that they remember the staff.”
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Kathy Spokes retired in September from clinical audit after almost 40 years service to NGH, including 20 years in A&E and 12 years in medical records. Senior audit assistant Anne Jeffrey said: “Kathy is lovely, caring, a very good listener and one of the kindest people you could ever meet.” Also described as a ‘trickster and joker, and one who could tell a good story,’ Kathy is also something of a poet – and it’s telling that one of her farewell gifts was a ‘Poet Laureate’ blue plaque!
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Well done to medicine management technicians David Still from our pharmacy team who is now an NHS flufighter - and to all our employees and volunteers who’ve had their flu jab. By mid- November over 60 per cent of our staff had already been vaccinated – a good 10 per cent higher than at the same stage last year.
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Cereen Thomas from India, along
Ambra from Italy made a video for our new overseas nurses to help them prepare for life in a UK hospital. (Watch it on our YouTube channel) They say the best thing about NGH is the support from their ward teams - and unsurprisingly, the biggest 12 ❘ Insight
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disappointment has been the weather!
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A big well done to Anita York (MacMillan gynae oncology clinical nurse specialist) and Rhian Langford (Macmillan information and support lead) who trekked across the Himalayas in October in memory of former NGH patient Luis Ghaut, who lost his life to bone cancer aged just 13. They self-funded the venture so that all sponsorship raised could be sent directly to Sarcoma UK, the bone and soft tissue cancer charity. There’s still time to donate to their campaign – please visit justgiving.com and type in Anita York Rhian Langford to find their page. (By the way, our picture shows them practising on Snowdon in Wales!)
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A warm welcome to CJ (Callum) Grant, who recently joined the communications team as our very first digital and social media apprentice. As the youngest member of the team, CJ brings a different dimension and perspective. One of his first projects will be to work with colleagues and service users to improve the information on our website for children and young people.
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We’re proud of our paediatrics practice development nurse Val McGurk who’s written a moving, insightful guest blog post. Val’s review of the BBC’s Sian Williams’ book ‘Rise: Surviving and Thriving after Trauma’ was tweeted by Sian, and it’s available on her website at www.sianwilliamsmedia.co.uk
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Tony Croft has been elected as the new chairman of the Friends of NGH. He’s continuing to work his Friday shift as a volunteer guide and buggy driver to help transport patients and visitors around the hospital. Their energetic fundraising has recently enabled the Friends to donate over £40,000 to wards and clinics for the purchase of equipment to benefit patients. Tony comes from a background in retail and says: “There are similarities, in that we’re all here to look after our customers and keep them happy.”
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Dontcha just hate it when this happens? It’s that awkward moment when you turn up in the same outfit as your work colleague… and you’re both called Andy! Just to clear up any confusion, that’s Andy Feltham on the left and Andy Winter on the right. A fab #FridayFun photo – thanks guys!
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