MEMBERS of an emergency nursing team were among those honoured at an awards ceremony following an emotional nomination from their own manager.

Trish Bannar-Martin nominated the emergency department nursing team from Darlington Memorial Hospital for the “outstanding care and compassion” shown to her dying sister.

Trish was on a family holiday in Lanzarote when her sister, Jenny Smith, 41, was brought into the hospital following a catastrophic brain aneurysm.

Mum-of-four Jenny lost her fight for life but Trish paid a tearful tribute to the nurses at the awards ceremony, saying: “They had no idea at the time who she was but every member of the team treated her like a member of their own family and I can never thank them enough.”

'THANK YOU IS NOT ENOUGH'

The awards were staged at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Durham to mark International Nurses Day and were sponsored by Teesside University, The Open University, the University of Sunderland, and Nervecentre Software.

Noel Scanlon, the trust’s Director of Nursing, said: “These awards represent a good opportunity to celebrate the wonderful work of our nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants. What makes it extra-special is that all the award winners were nominated by their peers.

“International Nurses Day is a great time to do this. It’s great for staff morale, and it’s important to recognise what excellent nursing does for our communities.”

Trust chairman, Professor Paul Keane, added: “This is an excellent opportunity to celebrate all the things nurses do to help our patients. It’s important to recognise the commitment, compassion, and contributions they make on a day-to-day basis.”

ROLL OF HONOUR

Special Recognition

•Ann Moody (Patient Safety midwife)

•Caroline Jackson (Health care assistant, University Hospital North Durham);

•Heather Parkin (Macmillan and palliative care educator)

•Janet Butcher (Gynaecology Nurse Specialist)

•Michael Maddison-Evans (Staff Nurse, Darlington Memorial Hospital)

•Sandra Smyth (District Nursing Team Lead)

Outstanding Mentor

•Graham Hopper (District Nurse – Chester-Le-Street)

•Donna Fairless (Staff Nurse, emergency department, University Hospital North Durham)

•Tracy Harper (District Nurse – Seaham)

Team of the Year

•Acute Intervention Team: Jane Kelly, Catherine Samson, Kayleigh West, Kate Cranston, Sonita Pearson

Patient Choice Award

•Accident and Emergency Dept nursing team, Darlington Memorial Hospital: Kym Kavanagh (Senior Sister); Wayne Haswell; Rebecca Blake; Rachel Soley; Chloe Hail; Hayley Reid

Travel Awards (scholarships to send nurses around the world to study best practice)

•Andrea Bracewell – Visiting Holland to study Dutch healthcare and midwifery in prisons.

•Delcy Wells – Visiting Ireland to study fall prevention in healthcare settings.