Our amazing ViPs go the extra mile 

Congratulations to our super September ViPs. 

Our latest Values into Practice award winners were celebrated at our Trust Board meeting last week. 

Chief Executive Lance McCarthy presented certificates to colleagues and teams who have exemplified our shared values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future. 

Emma Wise, operations manager in the emergency department at Frimley Park, was nominated by a colleague for the support she gave to a patient who was experiencing a mental health crisis. Emma took the patient’s dog to her own home to care for it and keep it safe, providing reassurance to the patient at a difficult time. 

Senior sister Donna Evans and the Ward 6 team at Wexham Park, including ward clerk Deana Church, were recognised for the way they handled an incident involving a violent and destructive patient. 

And Emma Flynn, matron for clinical education for paediatrics and neonates, and the paediatric practice development team were praised for ensuring a smooth rollout of the national Paediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) across the Trust.  

We welcome ViP Award nominations from Trust staff and members of the public. If you know someone who has gone above and beyond expectation to support our patients, services or colleagues, please let us know.

Frimley Health's latest Values into Practice award winners were celebrated at our Trust Board meeting in July. 

Linda Kelly, Megan Parry and Tamara Howe were nominated by a colleague, patient or member of the public for exemplifying our shared values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future. A fourth colleague, Dr Anika Wijewardane, was there to collect her award from May. 

Linda, an oncology secretary at Wexham Park Hospital, spent more than an hour on the phone with a patient who had been diagnosed with cancer and was declining any further treatment. By listening to his fears with compassion and talking to him with empathy, the patient agreed to attend his appointments.  

Megan, events manager with the Frimley Health Charity, led on delivering an amazing Run Frimley in event in May that involved more than 1,200 runners. It had great feedback from runners and the community despite the new venue and new route.

Tamara, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Frimley Park Hospital, has played a huge role in speeding up the time it takes for patients on cancer pathways to get their diagnostic results by supporting colleagues involved in the often complex processes. Her patience, compassion, supportive nature and leadership have helped deliver faster and better outcomes for patients.  

Dr Anika Wijewardane, consultant acute and stroke physician at Frimley Park Hospital, was among the winners in May and was recognised for leading change in the Acute Medical Unit. However, she had been unable to attend that month’s Board meeting to receive her certificate. 

If you know someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in their role at Frimley Health, you can nominate them for a ViP award.

Our magnificent May ViP winners

Congratulations to our Values into Practice (ViP) Award winners for May. 

MRI radiographer Yogesh Kaushik, consultant Dr Anika Wijewardane, and desktop support engineer Simon Coxon were all recognised for embodying our shared values: Committed to Excellence, Working Together and Facing the Future. 

Yogesh was nominated by a colleague for his helpfulness and professionalism, even working very late into the evening on several occasions to reduce delays to patients caused by a scanner failure. 

Dr Wilewardane was nominated for leading change in Frimley Park Hospital’s acute medical unit with the implementation of a new MDT model of care that expedited safe discharges and reduced length of stay for patients. 

Simon, pictured above, won his ViP Award after colleagues described him as cheerful and polite and always quick to respond to help with IT issues. They say he goes above and beyond the call of duty to support them. 

ViP nominations are made by Frimley Health staff and member of the public. If you know someone who has gone above and beyond expectation to support our patients, services or colleagues, please let us know.

Meet our marvellous March ViPs

The Values into Practice (ViP) Awards are presented to colleagues who embody our shared values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future. 

The cross-site paediatric diabetes team was nominated for its incredible work with young patients and their families that has resulted in some of the best patient outcomes in the country. The team has embraced new technology and ways of working that help families manage diabetes better at home and it has been asked to share its work regionally as best practice by the South East Children and Young Persons Transformation Programme. 

Also honoured was one of our long-serving Frimley Park matrons, Vera Gill-Wakatama, who was nominated by a colleague when she rushed to help him as he struggled to stop a patient from falling. He was touched by Vera’s approach and kindness with the patient - typical of the amazing support and compassion that she has shown to colleagues and patients for many years. 

Three more Values into Practice Awards were presented at January’s Trust Board meeting, recognising colleagues who embody the Trust's shared values: Committed to Excellence, Working Together and Facing the Future.

The winners were:

Silvia Marko, a staff nurse in Wexham Park Hospital emergency department, was nominated by a student nurse for the ‘wonderful’ support she has given to help students in the team. She is described as an incredible teacher, always firm but fair, taking care of the students’ welfare while ensuring they are constantly learning.

Knowledge Nyamaradzo, mental health lead for safeguarding across Frimley Health, was nominated by Trust and partner organisation colleagues who described him as an incredibly calm, supportive and well-respected colleague. He joined the Trust at a time of great pressure for mental health demand and quickly made his mark among clinical staff, partners and patients to help transform mental health care.

Teams from F1 children’s ward, paediatric assessment, oncology and community were all nominated by the mother of a young patient who has been cared for by the Trust for a long period. She said the family were incredibly grateful to the Frimley Park team for their unbelievable support through some of their lowest and toughest moments. Her family felt safe, cared for and heard under their care. She paid moving tribute to teams and individuals who had made such a difference on their difficult journey.  

ViP Awards nominations can be made by Trust staff and members of the public.

Make a nomination

Our November Values into Practice award winners

The three award winners were revealed by Chief Executive Neil Dardis at the Trust’s board of directors meeting on 3 November

They were upper gastrointestinal surgeon Henry De’Ath, Wexham Park’s Eden Ward team, and Frimley Park colleagues who cared for a stroke patient.

Each was recognised for exemplifying our shared values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future.

Frimley Park upper gastrointestinal surgeon Henry De’Ath was nominated by a colleague for the clear and compassionate way he supported a patient and their family when discussing incredibly difficult news.

The Eden Ward team at Wexham Park was recognised for the way they really stepped up recently for their patients. The ward had to be closed at short notice and all 17 patients moved to different wards. The team pulled together to support their patients in unfamiliar surroundings for a week before they could return to the ward.

The third ViP award was proposed by a grateful patient who had suffered a stroke. He nominated the staff who looked after him – from the ED and stroke team who ensured he got the urgent care he needed for the best outcome, to the recovery team who helped nurse him, the vascular team who carried out urgent surgery to reduce the risk of further strokes, and the catering team for excellent food.

General surgeon Nadeen Low, pictured right, also received her award after she was not able to attend a previous presentation. Colleagues at Wexham Park said she was the backbone of their surgical team and provides exceptional care for patients as well as support for trainees and staff.

ViP award winners are nominated by Trust staff and members of the public via our website.

If you know a member of Trust staff who deserves to be honoured in this way, you can make a nomination. 

Receptionist Sue Cockfield and ward sister Moonyeen Gamarang are among the latest winners of our Directorate Values into Practice (ViP) awards. 

Sue has a key role in the outpatients department at Frimley Park, welcoming patients to the department, answering questions about follow-up appointments and helping to resolve other queries. Colleagues say she is passionate about facing the future – she has embraced our Epic EPR and regularly makes suggestions for improvements. Sue, pictured above with associate director for outpatients Katharine Horsfall, always puts patients first to ensure they have the best experience while in the hospital and she is keen to join working groups to find other ways to improve patients’ journeys. 

Moonyeen is an integral part of the Day Surgery Unit (DSU) team at Wexham Park where staff say she has always been very supportive as a mentor, sharing her knowledge and skills. She also provided outstanding support to DSU colleagues and the leadership team when the ward manager was on extended leave. 

Directorate ViP awards run on alternative months and provide our teams to celebrate staff in their area who embody our shared values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future. Directorate winners are automatically shortlisted for our Trust-wide ViP awards, which are presented at our public Board of Directors meetings.

Colleagues, patients and the public can nominate a FHFT staff member for a ViP Award. 

If you know a member of Trust staff who deserves to be honoured in this way, you can make a nomination. 

Childrens ED team among our July VIP winners

When the young son of Frimley Health theatre manager Kevin Harvey was gravely ill with necrotising fasciitis and Strep A, the quick-thinking and dedicated children's emergency department at Wexham Park were there to help save his life. 

Six-year-old Keyan’s chicken pox took a life-threatening turn in March this year but the team “cared for my little boy with strength, compassion and a wealth of knowledge”, said Kevin. 

Those doctors and nurses have now been recognised in our Values into Practice Awards for colleagues who embody our shared Trust values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future. 

Kevin said that the team kept Keyan safe, worked quickly to make decisions and monitored him extremely closely. 

Kevin said that thanks to the team’s “quick thinking, their determination and courage”, Keyan was transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where he spent five days in intensive care and underwent four surgeries. He has since made a great recovery. 

Nominating the children's ED team for their award, Kevin said: “I know how fantastic they are in there, that always stay on my mind. I know I can always depend on my hospital team.” 

Other colleagues to receive ViP certificates from chief executive Neil Dardis at July’s board of directors meeting were the security team at Frimley Park Hospital and Heidi Barber, our associate director of operational capacity. 

The security team won their award for the brilliant support they provide for our staff, patients and visitors. 

They were nominated for a particular incident in which they kept staff and patients safe and reassured during a challenging time with a patient on one of our wards. 

A colleague said: “We would not be able to do our jobs as nurses without their support and we feel that the security team deserve the recognition for their long-standing support to our ward.” 

Heidi won her ViP Award for the amazing way she responded to a recent fire at Wexham Park, ensuring that patients in ITU and our elderly ward were evacuated in minutes and that we were back to normal operating soon after the first was put out. She also recently came in at 3am to make sure that a major network upgrade went smoothly. 

Colleagues, patients and the public can nominate a FHFT staff member for a ViP Award. 

If you know a member of Trust staff who deserves to be honoured in this way, you can make a nomination. 

Our aMayzing May ViPs

Meet the newest recipients of Frimley Health's Values into Practice (ViP) awards which recognise staff who demonstrate our shared Trust values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future.

Advanced neonatal nurse practitioner Robyn Jones, bereavement officers Paula Tull and Susan Chard, and our Parkside team received awards from Chief Executive Neil Dardis at our latest board of directors meeting.

Robyn, based at Frimley Park, was nominated by a record number of colleagues for her tireless hard work and the respect, kindness and compassion she always shows to families and other staff. They say she goes above and beyond the call of duty and is a confident, calm and reassuring presence in the hospital. One colleague said: “She’s honestly incredible and one of the best nurses I have ever met.”

Paula and Susan, also based at Frimley Park, received their award for the amazing support they provided to two separate families in the United States who had lost family members unexpectedly at Frimley Park. Both families said they could not have got through their tragedy without the tremendous care and practical help from Paula and Susan and wrote to thank them for their amazing support and kindness.

Our final winners were the team from Parkside, our private patients unit, who were nominated by a grateful patient. He described the exceptional service he received from every member of the team who anticipated his every need and did it with smiles on their faces. From the moment he arrived on the unit through to his discharge home, the patient said his care was of the highest possible standard.

Nominate someone for a ViP 

If you know a member of Trust staff who deserves to be honoured in this way, you can make a nomination. 

Our marvellous March ViPs

Congratulations to three more Frimley Health colleagues who have been recognised for exemplifying the Trust's shared values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future.

Bed manager Sophie Winter, community matron Sharon Blackburn and catering assistant Attinder Kaur were presented with Values into Practice (ViP) Awards at the March board of directors meeting.

Sophie, who is based at Frimley Park Hospital, showed incredible calm and compassion when a mother unexpectedly started delivering her baby in the early hours of the morning before she could get to the labour ward. Sophie ensured the obstetrics team were on their way as she reassured, comforted and assisted the woman throughout her successful delivery.

Sharon, from the Farnborough community nursing team, was nominated by a colleague for always going the extra mile for her patients to ensure they get the care they need, and to support her nursing colleagues.

Attinder, who works on Ward 7 at Wexham Park Hospital, goes to exceptional lengths for the ward’s patients, many of whom live with dementia and other conditions, to ensure they get the nutrition that they need, working closely with patients, their relatives and ward staff.

Three Frimley Health colleagues who have shown their dedication and commitment to supporting patients and staff have been recognised in the Trust's latest Values into Practice awards.

Dr Jenny Tringham, deputy Chief of Service for Medicine at Frimley Park Hospital, consultant general surgeon Mr Henry Dowson and Lucy Tebbit, a clinical practice development nurse, collected their certificates at January’s board of directors meeting last week.

Values into Practice (ViP) awards are presented to colleagues who have exemplified Frimley Health's shared values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future. Staff can be nominated by members of the public or Trust colleagues.

Dr Tringham’s award recognises her eight years as Frimley Park Hospital’s deputy Chief of Service for Medicine. She has provided an incredible support to junior doctors and consultants during that time, together with dedication and leadership throughout the COVID pandemic. Jenny is stepping down as deputy Chief of Service but continues as a consultant within the hospital’s endocrine and diabetes team.

Mr Dowson, who is also based at Frimley Park, was nominated by a patient who said he went “above and beyond all expectations” during their care. The patient said: “Henry performed my first operation and then a week later cancelled his leave to perform my second operation. Then when he was on leave, he took the time to phone in to the hospital and wish me a happy birthday whilst I was recovering from the procedure.”

Lucy Tebbit, based at Wexham Park Hospital, was nominated for her award by colleagues. They called her “a wonderful person” who has a passion for helping and supporting those working around her, including providing them with gifts and awards.

Also nominated this month:

• Beatrice Quartieri, midwife, Frimley Park
• Bethany Amero, neonatal nurse, Frimley Park
• Olivia, staff nurse, ward G6, Frimley Park
• Asha Limbu, healthcare assistant, ward F6, Frimley Park
• Juliette, student midwife, Frimley Park
• Ambulatory emergency care team, Frimley Park
• Danielle Wells, midwife, Frimley Park
• Slavica Horvat, ward manager, Treetops, Heatherwood
• Tracey Salter, consultant nephrologist, Frimley Park
• Roger, emergency department volunteer, Frimley Park
• Dr Arabinda Pal, consultant gastroenterologist, Frimley Park
• Lorna Mirza, pharmacy operational lead, Wexham Park
• Marc Laniado, consultant urologist, and Tanya Gill, senior urology nurse, Heatherwood
• Anne-Marie, nursing associate, ward F8, Frimley Park
• Christine, ward F8, Frimley Park
• Preshmit, surgical assessment unit, Frimley Park
• Dr Savithri Sreekala, ophthalmology, Frimley Park
• Deirdre Hunter, community nursing sister, Aldershot Centre for Health
• Marie, receptionist, Wexham Park
• Bradley Walker, patient transport liaison officer, Frimley Park
• Shahina Ahmed, lead mammographer, Parapet breast screening unit
• Lucy Shelton, sister, children’s outpatients, Frimley Park
• Andy Landsberg, cyber security specialist, Heatherwood
• Lynn Hobbs, physiotherapy assistant practitioner, Frimley Park
• Cynthia (CJ), catering, Frimley Park
• Benita Okosi, rotational physiotherapist, Wexham Park
• Lung cancer prehab team, Wexham Park
• Lorraine Clayton, charities manager, Frimley Health Charity
• Samantha Davies, practice development nurse, medical acute dependency unit, Wexham Park
• Liah Haire, sister, medical acute dependency unit, Wexham Park
• Kerry Bull, senior sister, and endoscopy team, Heatherwood
• Kerry Moffat, human resources, Wexham Park
• Ruth Sturgess, dietitian, Frimley Park
• Sophie Harris, emergency department manager, Frimley Park
• Cara, midwife, Frimley Park
• Rob McFaul, lead radiographer, Aldershot Centre for Health
• Manisa, nurse, surgical assessment unit, Frimley Park
• Sonia Baranska, therapy technician, Farnham Hospital
• Jackie Tillyer, physiotherapy technician, Frimley Park
• Emma Pownell, EPR configuration project manager
• Lauren Harris, community midwife,
• Orwa Hameed, Jennifer Ogaard and Karen Mormech, EPR trainers
• Riha Limbu and Abi Jurd, IT midwives
• Nisrin Jahah, lead midwife for telephone triage
• Louise Evans, head and neck clinical nurse, Frimley Park
• Eden Ward team, Wexham Park
• Brenda Louw and Farnham Pharmaceutical Repackaging Unit team
• Alison Wills, outpatient clinic coordinator, Albany Park
• Gena, heathcare assistant, ward G9, Frimley Park

9 November 2022

The latest Frimley Health staff to be recognised with Values into Practice (ViP) awards have been announced.

Nurse Alison Matthews, who is based at the new Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, and the ambulatory emergency care unit (AECU) team at Frimley Park Hospital were honoured for embodying the Trust’s shared values: committed to excellence, working together and facing the future.

They were presented with certificates at our public Board of Directors meeting on 4 November.

Alison was nominated by a patient who was recovering on Heatherwood’s Treetops ward after surgery and was experiencing significant anxiety.

Alison showed empathy and compassion to help calm the patient, listen to them and support them in a way they said they had never experienced before.

The patient said: “Nurses give of their time and energy to patients and probably never receive the recognition they deserve but she was exemplary in every way.”

They added that Alison showed “the highest standards of care as a nurse I’ve ever experienced”.

The patient also praised the “incredible” surgeons and wider theatres team at Heatherwood for their first-class skills and outstanding care.

Frimley Park Hospital’s AECU team was nominated by a colleague who witnessed an “absolutely fantastic display of incredible nursing care”.

A young mother had arrived at Frimley Park with her three children but her life-threatening condition required an urgent transfer to another hospital.

The AECU nursing team sprang into action – comforting the patient, sourcing milk for her baby, searching for her car by torchlight, transferring car seats and pushchairs, and then locating and meeting with her friend to arrange overnight childcare and ensure the children were safe.

Celebrating our super September ViPs

Our September ViPs have been announced. 

Ward clerk Cathy Hobbs, Digital Services server manager David Hedges and our community frailty team, were all honoured with Values into Practice awards for demonstrating they are ‘committed to excellence’, ‘working together’ or ‘facing the future’. 

Cathy and colleagues representing the frailty team – associate director of community services Nicky Seargent and clinical nurse practitioner Hayley Matthews – collected certificates from Chief Executive Neil Dardis at the Trust’s Board meeting on Friday. David had been presented with his certificate the previous day. 

Staff on Frimley Park’s ward F2 nominated Cathy for going above and beyond the call of duty to support colleagues, patients and visitors. They describe her the most dedicated, hard working and loyal ward clerk they have known and the “heart and soul” of the team. 

David always works incredibly hard and is renowned for his dedication. Shortly before our new electronic patient record, Epic, went live in June, he worked out of hours and whenever he was needed to try to resolve any issues that arose. David was nominated by a colleague. 

Meanwhile, the community frailty team, which includes our Hospital @ Home service, has introduced some incredible changes to improve our level of care for patients outside of hospital and was nominated by the grateful wife of a patient whose life they have improved beyond recognition. 

Meet our July ViP Award winners

Our latest ViP Award winners were the first in more than two years to receive their certificates in person in front of the Trust’s Board. 

Our public Board meetings had been held over MS Teams since 2020 due the COVID pandemic, but this month our directors were finally able to meet again face to face. 

ViP Awards celebrate Trust colleagues who have exemplified our shared values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together and Facing the Future – in their everyday work. 

Sarah Stevens, appointments officer for the orthopaedic and plastics booking centre, was nominated by her colleagues for stepping up tirelessly to support her team when the department was short staffed. 

Nicola Birchmore, paediatric diabetic nurse, was nominated by a parent for the amazing care and support she gave to a young patient diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and her family at a very worrying time. 

And porters Paul Roberts and Franklin Faria were nominated by a colleague for the part they played in reuniting an end-of-life patient with her husband when they were both in Frimley Park Hospital. They synchronised bed moves to the Time Garden, pushed the beds together and dropped the handrails so the husband could take his wife’s hand. 

Congratulations to May’s winners:

From left: Deepa Jadhav, Hazel Potter, Kaajal Barot and Anne Deans

Congratulations to our latest ViPs – staff who have all demonstrated our shared values to support their colleagues or patients.

Our Values into Practice (ViP) Awards are presented at our board meetings to publicly recognise colleagues who go their extra mile in their work.

Consultant anaesthetist Deepa Jadhav
Ward clerk Hazel Potter
Consultants and specialty doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology at Wexham Park (represented in the images above by Consultant Gynaecologist Kaajal Barot and Chief of Service for Obstetrics and Gynaecology Anne Deans)

Read more about how they went above and beyond in their roles.

Congratulations to March’s winners:

Our latest ViPs have been honoured for embodying our shared values of being committed to excellence, working together and facing the future.

Ward host Dora Ferriera
Junior doctor Faye Selby
Network manager Rob Mitchell 

Read more about how they went above and beyond in their roles.

More than 40 colleagues and teams were nominated in the latest round of ViP Awards. 

Congratulations to January’s winners:

Hepatology Nurse Specialist Liliana Goncalves
Community Nursing Sister Elaine Edwards
Charge Nurse Alessandro Farinelli 
Junior Sister Remya Prasad

Read more about how they went above and beyond in their roles.

More than 30 colleagues and teams were nominated in the latest round of ViP Awards. 

If you know a member of Trust staff who deserves to be honoured in this way, you can make a nomination. 

Meet the latest winners of Frimley Health's Values into Practice (ViP) awards.

Congratulations to December’s winners:

Junior sister Annamarie Scott
Haematology clinical nurse specialist Kathryn Kensey 
Intensive care consultant Dr Tiina Tamm 

Annamarie Scott, Kathryn Kensey and Dr Tiina Tamm have been honoured by our Board of Directors for embodying our shared values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together and Facing the Future – in their everyday work.

Annamarie is a junior sister in Frimley Park’s Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU). She was nominated for a ViP Award by a woman who had suffered a third successive miscarriage and attended the EPU for a pre-operative assessment. The woman reflected on how empathetic and supportive Annamarie was during this difficult time – always showing kindness and consideration and making her feel both listened to and cared for.

Haematology clinical nurse specialist Kathryn, based at Wexham Park, was nominated by a man who had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The patient, who is now in remission, said Kathryn would go out of her way to make sure he was coping with the treatment and its side effects and to ensure that he never felt alone.

Intensive care consultant Tiina was nominated by a relative of a patient who received end-of-life care at Wexham Park Hospital. They praised Tiina for her empathy, for answering their questions and for allowing the family time to say goodbye. The relative said: “End-of-life care is a critical memory for those left behind and it couldn’t have been handled better.”

Do you know a member of Frimley Health staff who deserves a Values into Practice award? You can make a nomination using the form below.

ViP Awards nomination form

​