The latest recipients of the Isabella Kimmett Compassionate Care Award have been announced, with four members of NHS Ayrshire & Arran staff honoured.
Presented twice a year, the awards celebrate staff who demonstrate exceptional compassionate care. This November, the following people have been recognised:
- Deborah Love, Staff Nurse at the Paediatric Ward, University Hospital Crosshouse. In her role, Deborah exemplifies the very essence of compassionate, patient-centred care for children with cystic fibrosis. She was recognised for her unwavering dedication, which blends clinical expertise, relentless advocacy for patients and their families and genuine compassion, with transformative results for young people living with cystic fibrosis in Ayrshire.
- Elaine Tizzard, Occupational Therapy Technical Instructor at the Honeycomb Team, Woodland View. Elaine was nominated for consistently going ‘above and beyond’ in her role, demonstrating an exceptional level of compassion and empathy. She supports her patients holistically, giving extra time to really listen. This means that the patients feel heard and valued, even during periods of high clinical pressure. Her colleagues also value the support she gives the team in terms of wellbeing, demonstrating her compassionate characteristics are not limited to patient-facing care.
- Louise McCulloch, Medical Laboratory Assistant and Stewart Thriepland, Mortuary Lead from the Mortuary Service at University Hospital Crosshouse. Working together in the Mortuary Team, Stewart and Louise have been recognised for the respect, care, understanding and compassion they exemplify day in day out. In their roles they are interacting with grieving families, which can be very emotional. The support they offer is really appreciated by loved ones, many of whom reach out with personal thanks for the dignity and respect shown at the Mortuary Service. The team work hard to make the process as smooth as possible at what can be a very difficult time for families.
The awards were recently presented by Jacqueline Thomson, daughter of the late Isabella Kimmett, with NHS Ayrshire & Arran Nurse Director Jennifer Wilson also in attendance. Jennifer said:
“Here at NHS Ayrshire & Arran we aim to embed the principles of compassion and person-centred care in everything we do. Deborah, Elaine, Louise and Stewart exemplify these core values and through their work they are making a highly valued contribution to the services we deliver and the lives of local patients and their families. It is fantastic to see and I offer my congratulations and heartfelt thanks to each of the worthy recipients of the Isabella Kimmett Compassionate Care Awards.”
If you know someone who deserves to be awarded for the quality of their compassionate care, you can nominate them by emailing compassionatecareaward@aapct.scot.nhs.uk and asking for a nomination form. We are happy to take nominations from patients, family members and colleagues.
- Pictured from left to right: Jennifer Wilson, NHS Ayrshire & Arran Nursing Director, Elaine Tizzard (winner), Deborah Love (winner), Louise McCulloch (winner) and Jacqueline Thomson (daughter of the late Isabella Kimmett).