Congratulations to all Trust staff nominated for a Making a Difference Award – below are our winners.
Click here for details about how to nominate.
March 2025
Ed Lilley – Clerical officer, Endoscopy
Edward goes above and beyond every day and is always willing to help, no matter how busy he is. If he can’t help immediately he always comes back to us to check if we have solved the problem.
Edward always displays the KITE and ensures the smooth service delivery. He goes the extra mile on a daily basis to get the best result for the patient.
Ed is trustworthy, reliable and a great team player, a real asset to the team.
Sakshi Pawar – Senior Resourcing Administrator
Sakshi was nominated in recognition of going the extra mile to be helpful, patient and kind. If Sakshi does not know the answer she will always find out and get back to you with the answer. Thank you for making a difference.
Amy Howard – Neonatal Educator and Governance Lead, Special care Baby Unit
Amy is the epitome of hard working and so incredibly knowledgeable in the area of Neonates. She has a calm head and is a brilliant problem solver.
Amy is a champion for the baby friendly initiative and ensures parents are at the forefront of the minds of the SCBU staff, always advocating for the baby and the parents. Amy has supported not only her neonatal team but also our maternity staff through some difficult events. Amy has held a number of debriefs to bring together staff involved and has continued to support colleagues since. The Special Care Baby Unit is most definitely a better unit having Amy as part of the team.
Dr Luke Simpson – Acute Frailty Fellow
Luke is a real credit to the AFU team. He is a kind, supportive and approachable member of the team.
Recently, Luke had stayed 2 hours over his scheduled shift to care for a patient who was acutely unwell. Luke provided A* care to this patient and, did not once complain about being late off of his shift.
Luke’s approach to patient care is one to be admired. Luke is very much appreciated by all of the team on the Acute Frailty Unit.
James Ezenwafor – Care Support Worker, Oakdale
James is consistently uplifting, polite and a great team player. James is always willing and nothing is ever too much trouble for him. He has blended into the team well and creates a safe atmosphere for both staff and patients. James is a breath of fresh air on the ward and so many patients and colleagues have complimented on his well-mannered behaviour. James truly represents the KITE values.
Nicola DeBond – Clinical Effectiveness Administrator, Quality and Safety
There has been recent changes to the work done by the Compliance and Clinical Standards Teams. Nicola has made such a difference by being super helpful and supportive in making these changes as easy as possible.
She has made sure that files and instructions were up to date, completed a handover to staff and is providing ongoing support.
Nicola has shown great kindness and teamwork, and her “can do” attitude and enthusiasm make it a pleasure to work with her.
Kathy Dransfield – Medical Secretary, Gastroenterology
Kathy was nominated in recognition of her hard work and supportive nature and for everything she has done for the department and time at the trust.
Lindsay Caygill – Research Nurse
Lindsay was nominated in recognition of going the extra mile to support a patient. Lindsay was going to see a research participant and happened to bump into a different patient who looked very unwell.
Lindsay went out of her way to ensure the patient was assessed by the appropriate team The patient had blood tests, and ended up being admitted to hospital.
Lindsay went the extra mile to support the needs of the patient, and the team on SROMC, in achieving what was best for this patient.
Jo Berry – Stores Practitioner, Endoscopy
Jo has transformed the way the department orders, receives and stores all the extremely niche Endoscopy products.
It is difficult job because as soon as Jo has topped up one area, it all gets used so quickly and is soon gone. Jo has made an extremely huge difference to the working day of the endoscopy department ensuring efficiency and safety.
Jo has forged excellent working relations with the whole nursing team, various product companies and reps, consultants and procurement and stores. Jo is truly valued by the whole Endoscopy Team.
Charlotte Hutchison – Department Manager-Lead Nurse, SDEC
Charlotte is an incredibly passionate and caring nurse, as well as a wonderful aspiring leader.
Charlotte has brought forward lots of new improvement ideas, has been championing SDEC’s IMPACT work and improvement huddles, as well as being so focused on the staff and their wellbeing.
She is a kind, approachable staff member who would always go above and beyond for anyone who needed her support.
Clare Gill – Assistant Finance Manager, Finance Planning Management (second row)
Clare has greatly supported all members of the team in their personal life by doing everything she can to make sure they are okay. Clare does this by giving advice, sharing things that might help like an audiobook and helping with workload. Clare is always willing to step in to help everyone without a second thought. Clare’s unwavering support truly makes a difference.
Olivia Belcher – Physiotherapist, ARCH
Olivia went above and beyond to facilitate a discharge from AFU after the ambulance service put a block on transport meaning the patient could no longer go home.
This was particularly important given that if this lady didn’t go home that day she would lose her package of care, meaning a prolonged hospital stay while this was being resourced.
Olivia immediately agreed to help and assist the patient home in a taxi. Olivia assisted the patient into to her flat and settled her in, despite this meaning she stayed later that her shift finishing.
Olivia is always willing to help no matter what the problem is in order to support others.
The patient was so grateful to Olivia for going above and beyond.
Ruth Whitehead – Urgent Care Practitioner, Emergency Department
Ruth was nominated in recognition of her support to her colleagues. Ruth voluntarily came in to work a shift in ED2 so that a member of the team was not left to work alone. Ruth was so selfless and displayed such an embodiment of kindness, personal integrity, and teamwork. Ruth’s actions truly made a difference.
Agnes Gugnacka-Cook – Nutritional Assistant, Farndale
Agnes has made such a huge impact to the team and has absolutely excelled in her role as a Nutritional Assistant. She is hardworking, dedicated and always cheery; and she has single-handedly helped improve the safety standards on Farndale with her dedication to patient weights and meticulous referrals to dieticians and the Speech and Language Team. Agnes goes above and beyond to help our patients get the nutrition they need and we are very grateful.
Richard Bryer – Charge Nurse, Special Care baby Unit
Richard is a consistently hardworking and supportive member of the Woodlands team. Richard is keen to support and teach and puts himself out to support patients and their parents through truly distressing situations.
His enthusiasm, passion and attention to his colleague’s wellbeing have always been outstanding qualities.
Richard absolutely shines when he works to support patients in the SEND demographic, his approach is so caring, understanding and nuanced, everyone could learn from Richards’s excellent approach to delivering care in these scenarios. Rich is someone that makes everyone feel positive and supported on shift, he does Woodlands and the Paediatric team proud.
February 2025
Beth Hamer – Community Administrator, Fysche Hall Clinic (Top right, second from left)
Beth has supported the community nursing team several times during the bad weather by volunteering to take nurses in her 4×4 to patients in the community, who may not have been able to be seen otherwise.
This was particularly important as one of these patients was palliative and it was essential that they were seen to ensure the continuity of care at the end of their life.
Thank you for making a difference!
Victoria Mercer – Assistant Point of Care Testing Practitioner
Victoria was asked to provide a large amount of data collection from various Afinion machines used by the diabetes research team throughout the past 5 years.
Victoria went the extra mile to collate this data within the given time frame in addition to her usual workload.
Victoria is very approachable and delivers training sessions with deep knowledge and confidence, and continues to be professional with a smile on her face.
Darcy Cope – Health Visitor, Stockton 0-19 and Jacqui Pearse – Health Visitor, Stockton 0-19 (Pictured first and second from the left)
Darcy was nominated in recognition of the work she has done to support one of the families she is working with. The work she has done has really evidence our HDFT trust values in order to really support the child and their parents.
Darcy has used her position of trust to advocate for the whole family in order to get the best possible outcome for the child.
Darcy received positive feedback from the Safeguarding team around her professional management of this case.
Jacqui was nominated in recognition of her support shown to a mother who was in emotional distress due to extreme dental pain, which was having a detrimental impact on her maternal mood. Jacqui recognised she needed another medical review and advocated for this lady by contacting a local dentist and securing her a same day urgent dental appointment. Jacqui has demonstrated the HDFT values such as kindness, equality and integrity within her position to ensure this lady received the most appropriate treatment and care.
Nicky Stephenson – Trauma Coordinator, Orthopaedics
Nicky was nominated in recognition of her incredible efforts during the snow and Ice in Harrogate. The ice particularly has caused havoc and a vast number of injuries that have required surgery overwhelming the system.
Despite the vast workload Nicky has thrown herself into the melee as a patient advocate, helping them to navigate the system, providing reassurance and always being on hand for advice as a point of contact.
In addition to this Nicky has ensured that every single patient has been seen and treated by the appropriate surgeon with the appropriate expertise.
Without the hard work and dedication shown by Nicky there would still be a lot of patients waiting, in pain and at home for their treatment. Nicky is an incredible human and an absolute asset to the Orthopaedic department and to the Trust as a whole.
Anne-Marie Cook – Service Manager, Gateshead
Anne-Marie has supported Middlesbrough to implement the 0-5 tool and is now supporting Gateshead to implement the 5-19 tool, as well as supporting Stockton.
This tool enables teams to have a fair equitable allocation of work. It supports with safer staffing and in turn supports staff well-being and health.
Nothing is too much trouble and Anne-Marie is always there to answer any questions and takes time out of her busy day to ensure we are fully supported.
Donna Scott – Emotional Resilience Nurse, Durham
Donna has supported countless children, young people and families across County Durham making a difference in their lives. Despite the challenges of meeting the needs of her own caseload, supporting families timely, she always has time for her peers in her team.
Donna is both respected and liked by her HDFT colleagues and also colleagues across other partnership. The nature of the work the team does can be very emotive and Donna is always there to offer a listening ear to promote staff health and wellbeing. She is always there to offer “kindness” a, hug and a listening ear, which on an emotive difficult day, makes such a difference to the team.
Laura Smith – Specialist Nurse, Sir Robert Ogden MacMillan Centre
Laura was nominated in recognition of her exceptional handling of a recent PICC line issue. Laura coordinated a timely and appropriate response to this significant issue: all affected patients were identified; risk assessments were undertaken in conjunction with the patient’s Consultant; and individual plans were made.
Laura organised difficult, but honest and transparent conversations. Laura demonstrates the Trust’s kite values on a daily basis and is a wonderful and inspiring role model to the SACT team.
Rikki-Lee Paley – Appointment Coordinator
Rikki-Lee is consistently professional and always striving to do her best, with the children and their families at the forefront of her work.
Rikki-Lee shows attention to detail and organised in the way she works, which is crucial for the efficient delivery of our service. She always demonstrates logical and methodical approaches and always considers the bigger picture, which has a significant impact on how the team functions.
Since Rikki Lee has started in this new role within the department, she has been like a breath of fresh air.
She has made the booking process for paediatric appointments so much easier and she is always helpful in finding solutions to support parents and us as clinicians.
Her approach to work has had such a massive impact on the quality of care that families receive. She is extremely approachable and is always willing to help.
Dr Alice Johnston – FY3/Clinical Teaching Fellow and Heather Bragg – FY3/Clinical Teaching Fellow
Alice and Heather display the KITE values in their day-to day practice towards patients and colleagues alike. Both colleagues have exemplary kind and empathetic ‘bed-side’ manner and have had numerous positive feedback from patients and relatives regarding their kindness, professional attitude and thorough explanation when seen/assessed by Alice and Heather.
Alice and Heather achieve collaborative teamwork and continue to empower the nursing team and support them with upskilling on the ward as well as gaining further knowledge to manage our complex groups of patients on the ward.
On behalf of Oakdale team, we appreciate Alice & Heather’s leadership, education and approachability.
Gemma Umpleby – Sister/Charge Nurse, Fountains
Gemma was nominated in recognition of her support to her team on Fountains, and promoting the Professional Nurse Advocate service.
Feedback from the team is that Gemma is amazing and strives very hard to make the ward a really good place to work. Thank you for making a difference.
John Douglass – Care Support Worker, Acute Frailty Unit
John was nominated at the request of two family members of a patient who sadly passed away.
The family members said that John was so kind, caring and compassionate as they were extremely stressed with what was a truly awful time for them. In their words they said John made a world of difference to their experience and they would like him to receive this award in their fathers memory as they felt he deserved this recognition.
Jude Watson – Urgent Care Practitioner, Harrogate
Jude provides amazing support to the Urgent Care Practitioners who deliver Minor Care Services across Ripon and Harrogate.
She has been key in helping to deliver the continued development of these teams utilising her own experience and knowledge to enable the growth of both staff and services.
Jude is an excellent role model who has the patient at the centre of all she does.
Clare Asquith – Discharge Coordinator
Clare was nominated by a patient relative who said Clare was extremely kind to my sister. My sister has been in hospital/Lascelles since last November and at some point during that time Clare had spoken to her and found out that my sister loves Freddie Mercury. Before we knew it Clare delivered a painting of Freddie of Mercury, framed, for my sister to keep. My sister loves the painting and is constantly looking at it and smiling. Clare went above and beyond the call of duty.
Ginelle Clough – Community Anchor, Northumberland 0-19 Service
Ginelle has worked tirelessly to support 0-19 colleagues with their working day.
This has included the compilation of a service directory to save time for staff trying to make onward referrals to other services, organising the monthly professional forum which includes staff thoughts around which speakers or presentations would be most beneficial to their practice, and has recently developed and embedded a multiagency housing pathway to support staff.
During mental health awareness week Ginelle worked extremely hard to give staff opportunities to get together to enjoy a variety of tasks throughout the week. This included a quiz, mindful colouring and a bake off.
Elaine Iredale – Health Visitor, Northumberland
Elaine has gone above and beyond to support a number of families during a difficult time. Elaine really has been an example of the best that health visiting can offer.
Elaine has kept the children front and centre throughout, ensuring that her contribution to the legal processes was child focussed, none judgemental and empathetic.
Elaine is commended for her personal resilience when dealing with extremely emotive issues and continually striving to achieve the best outcomes for children in her care.
Rachael Worton – Lead Nurse, Emergency Department and Amy Carr – Matron, Emergency Department
Rachael was nominated in recognition of her exceptional leadership, tireless dedication, and transformative impact on the Emergency Department. Rachael consistently demonstrates an unwavering commitment to supporting her team and delivering the highest standard of patient care.
Rachael has been a steadfast advocate for her team, ensuring they are equipped with the resources and support needed to succeed. From the outset, she has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to emphasise the importance of safe staffing levels, recognising their crucial role in maintaining both high-quality patient care and staff well-being. Rachael leads by example on the clinical floor; her hands-on approach and visible leadership make her a true role model.
Amy was nominated in recognition of her unwavering dedication, transformative influence, and unmatched ability to foster a supportive and collaborative environment. Amy is not just a leader but a role model, a problem solver, and an unshakable pillar of support for the team.
Victoria Maddison – Health Visitor, Durham East
Victoria was contacted by a parent who had previously been on her caseload and had transferred out of Durham. The parent didn’t not have any contact details for the new health visitor. Victoria supported the woman to manage the crisis and get the help she needed
Victoria rearranged her workload with the help of her colleagues to enable her to support the woman, ensuring both mum and baby were safeguarded and provided the woman with trusting support and advice. Victoria was able to get mental health crisis support for the woman in the area she now lived and spent several hours ensuring the woman and baby had the care they needed.
Victoria’s actions and support went above and beyond what was expected of her, she illustrated kindness and compassionate care.
January 2025
Sophie McDonnell – Midwife, Community
Sophie was nominated by a patient who said…”I want to express my most sincere thanks to the care given to me during the lead-up and birth of both my girls. The care that Sophie gave during my maternity period and labour were second-to-none and I can’t express my gratitude enough.
I have been fortunate enough to have forged incredibly special relationships with certain members of staff, in-part due to the close proximity of both pregnancies and therefore not giving the staff a chance to have forgotten me before turning up again!, but also due to the incredible professionalism and friendliness.”
Denise Kernen – Administration/Safeguarding Officer
Denise has recently taken on the role of a mentor to a business apprentice and new member of staff. Denise’s training is not only benefiting the new members of staff but also the team as a whole as the workload figures are reducing.
Workload in all areas are reducing as the training is effective this has provided the new starters with confidence and understanding of the roles and responsibilities.
Denise’s mentorship is also allowing processes to be questioned and checked to ensure they are up to date and reflect the needs of the business.
Callum Stewart – Sister/Charge Nurse, Farndale
Callum is a beacon of light in busy and acute situations. He consistently uplifts and strives for great care from himself and those around him. Callum listens to and pushes students to be the best they can be by helping you gain learning opportunities whether that be alongside him or elsewhere. Callum ensures that everybody is gaining what they can from the day whilst leading.
Hayden Nelson – Physiotherapist, ARCH Team
Hayden recently acted quickly when he found a patient with worrying neurological symptoms in the Fit2Sit area of ED. Having been called to do a mobility assessment in order for the patient to go home. Hayden noticed the patient was mildly confused and more unsteady than her baseline.
He promptly raised his concerns and pushed for a CT resulting in the patient receiving a quick diagnosis and was able to be transferred to Leeds for admission under their specialist stroke team.
Hayden remained calm and professional and acted as an advocate for this patient, using his expert knowledge and quick thinking to try and improve the outcome for the patient. He is a very valuable member of our ARCH team.
Tim Jarvis – Urgent Care Practitioner
Tim has recently joint the Emergency Department 2/Minors care team and has brought such an injection of positivity to the team.
The entire department are forever complimenting him on his approachability and upbeat attitude. He is supportive, knowledgeable and hard working. He regularly receives praise from patients complimenting him on the service provided.
Tim is really open minded and dynamic and adapts to the ever changing pressures in ED with enthusiasm. When the department is under pressure nothing is too much trouble and he regularly liaises with the team in ED 1 to offer help where possible.
Tim has a wealth of experience and is always sharing useful hints and tips that help shape service improvement and staff development.
Amanda Abley – Health Visitor, Durham East
Amanda was nominated by the parents she has been helping. Amanda has gained their trust, is working flexibly to meet their needs and supporting the parents with the aim of introducing new services when they are ready. They parents said Amanda is supportive, honest and has shown genuine care for their family. She is an outstanding example of Health Visiting and a credit to the NHS.
Dr Lauren Langham – Trust Doctor- Elderly Medicine
Lauren was nominated after receiving great feedback from a patient relative.
They were so thankful for the care you delivered with the upmost professionalism. You were empathetic, listened to concerns and documented appropriately which made a daunting time a little easier.
Kirsty Russell – Clinical Support Worker
Kirsty became a cascade trainer for a device to support her fellow colleagues in the department. During her performing the process Kirsty noticed a software issue that had occurred and highlighted possible changes to the process. This was relayed to the company who investigated and were able to fix the bugs in the software. This has improved things at our hospital but has changed the way the company carry out their processes. You have truly made a difference across the service and in many other hospitals.
Maria Tony – Sister/Charge Nurse, Escalation Ward
Maria has gone above and beyond to get the escalation ward ready in time for its opening, despite multiple challenges, the biggest one being the ward opening 4 weeks earlier than planned. Maria has been managing her previous role in outpatients as well as organising a new ward. Maria has worked tirelessly including calling in on her days off to donate her microwave from home for the staff to ensure they can prepare hot meals on their break. Maria has welcomed all the staff and ensured they all received a warm welcome and a thorough induction to the ward. Maria is regularly overheard praising staff for their hard work and support and is always kind and caring towards patients and their visitors. Maria upholds the trust values and behaviours and is a positive role model to her staff.