Healthcare assistant wins prestigious NHS England award
A Healthcare Assistant (HCA) at a hospital has claimed a top award, thanks to her excellent commitment to making a difference in patient care.
Clare Wooding, an HCA in the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) and vascular access team at Broomfield Hospital, part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, has won a Chief Nursing Officer Award from NHS England for the compassion, dignity, and empathy she shows patients.
Clare said: “I can’t believe I’ve won the Chief Nursing Officer award. When I found out I burst into tears, it was such a surprise, it’s so lovely to be recognised. My patients are everything to me, I love caring for them and making their day a little brighter.”
She was nominated by colleague Elisavet Mendrinou, a PICC Specialist Nurse, who was really taken by all her efforts to ensure the highest standards in patient care and cheer up patients during what can be a difficult time in hospital.
The recognition caught Clare by surprise when Rachel Hearn, Clinical Quality Director at the Trust and Louisa White, Senior Clinical Manager from NHS England met her as she was going to her ward and presented the award.
Julie Godfrey, Lead Vascular Access Advanced Nurse Practitioner, said: “Clare is an absolutely fantastic asset to our team. She is so kind, maintains excellent standards and is committed to patient safety and it’s so important to her to make her patient’s experience a comfortable one. She always uses her initiative to assist our clinical team – she is incredibly deserving.”