Our Healthcare Assistant, Michelle Jackson was so surprised by Owen Williams with a Star Award.....she was convinced he had the wrong person!.

She was nominated after a colleague saw the way Michelle  "put herself in our patient's shoes" and handled an end-of-life situation with the patient's family.

Owen, prompting Michelle to burst into tears and give him a hug, said: “You realised a patient was at a certain point of his life, and you went that extra mile to treat him with the dignity and respect. The same way you would expect if it was your family member.”

Michelle was in shock that she was even considered for a Star Award. Once she calmed down, she said: “I was just doing my job! We work so hard here, it feels amazing to be recognised.”      

Her nominator Helen Harris, wrote on the Star Award nomination:" Michelle was caring for a patient and was concerned that they required a medical review and that the family needed a conversation about the situation. The ward was very busy but Michelle recognised how essential this review was and did not leave work till the end. She liaised effectively with the Staff Nurse and the Medical Team in order to ensure the patient got what they needed.

"Her words were "What if that was my mum or dad?" She absolutely put the patient first, knew that she needed the full MAU team to be part of the solution and was not afraid to insist on it."

Helen, added: “Michelle is passionate about providing good care to patients and takes seriously our commitment to excellence at end of life. She is able to put herself in the patients' or relatives' shoes, and understands how bad they will feel if care or communication is lacking. This commitment to doing the right thing and to putting the patients first means that she is not daunted by perceived professional hierarchies - she will speak to anyone necessary to achieve the right care for her patient."

She added that: "Michelle had also undertaken non-essential training in aspects of care which she found challenging, in order to feel more confident and because she understands that some parts of the job are essential, whether they are in our comfort zone or not.”