After  work finished for the day, HRI's Day Surgery team were called together for a very important meeting  ....and ended talking about the weather (or so it seemed)

Victoria Smith, Clinical Operations Manager and Q Ilyas, Matron for Surgery, had to keep all colleagues together ready for the surprise Star Award presentation and were running out of subjects to talk about so they resorted to talking about the sunshine.

Q said: "Victoria was just talking at them and then passed over to me so I just started talking about the weather because I didn't know what to say and was put on the spot! I'm just really proud of them, I've not been in position for very long and I can just see what a great team they really are."

Owen said: "You've all won a Star Award, now it's possibly the longest submission we've ever had. You've all won for just being great and delivering compassionate care for our patients through and through.

" Especially when winter times got tough, you kept and keep things running, really stepped up out of your normal day -to-day role and I can't say thank-you and well done enough. 

"Now it's picture time, we'd have gone outside given the weather is so nice but as you're all in scrubs we'll take it in here. At least the sun can't turn my glasses making me look like one of the Blue Brothers haha! No hiding in the picture, it goes up on the wall!!"

Victoria, who nominated them said to us after the presentation "I've nominated them a million times already in the past, I can't put into words how great they all are. They always go the extra mile, no matter what nothing is too much. They go above and beyond for our patients. When we had to go to wards for two weeks, some of the staff haven't been on wards for some time and it was daunting for them but they did it and I couldn't be any prouder of them all. I'm so glad they won, they just all work so so hard!"

Victoria's nomination  reads:

"We have been facing very challenging times nationally in the NHS with staffing shortages, bed capacity, care of the elderly. In January we seemed to spike with norovirus and the flu epidemic. This put increasing pressure on the trust for bed capacity. The Government together with NHS England then sent a message out nationally to combat this. 

"All elective and non urgent surgery was cancelled throughout January 2018. For us this meant our unit was reconfigured into a ward with acute medical and surgical patients that we had accepted from A&E to maintain patients' dignity and ease bed pressures. I feel my staff went above and beyond to accommodate this. Staff overcame many challenges and organised services like pharmacy, meal plans, beds, laundry, Doctors to review patients.

"Teamwork was shown to be of the highest standard to make sure  care on the unit was safe at all times and patients given gold standard care. After realising the bed crisis was not short -term patients and staff were relocated to the Birthing Centre which provided temporary facilities for patients.

"My staff usually work Monday- Friday between the hours of 7.00am-7.30pm. All staff rearranged at very short notice their off-duty and worked nights and weekends to cover this service i at such a challenging time.

"Staff were also asked to go and work in other areas caring for medical patients they were unfamiliar with. Staff pulled together by learning new care plans, pathways they were unfamiliar with, drug rounds and ward rounds.

"The patients were so grateful and always praising my team. We put the patient first by accommodating patients and their needs by providing a 24hr-warded area and caring for them during this period.

We go see, by being able to facilitate patients having a higher standard of care than they would have received if they needed to be cared for in corridors as seen nationally if no bed had been made available. As a team we worked together to get the best outcome for our patients and accommodated all the changes to facilitate this.

We did the must do's by staff learning the new care plans, ward rounds, drug rounds to ensure patient safety.

During this time they receoved lovely feedback including this from one family. "Because of my pain I think I was a bit of a demanding patient, but to my surprise I met a great team. Team working together for the love of their patients. You were all brilliant. Cathy ever smiling lady with a soothing smile make our pain fade away, a caring nurse. Vicky, you are a golden treasure, your approach to your patients and your reassurance is marvellous. Amanda and Zoe God bless you I love you ladies, God bless that you continue with that spirit of enjoying what you are doing. Nikki thank you for being patient with me with all my needs, you are an excellent nurse. Love Sybill."

***If you're proud of your team like Vicky - or got an individual in mind  for a shout-out then you can fill in the  Star Award nomination here on the Intranet.