Health centre staff shortlisted for prestigious awards

The awards are open to thousands of healthcare professionals and administrators in services across the country, ranging from GP surgeries and walk-in centres to treatment centres and the 111 urgent care services.

Finalists from the centre are:

- Marco La Malfa, medical director: a team nomination in the Innovation and Improvement category for their work in developing shoulder replacement day surgery, enabling patients having total shoulder replacement to return home the same day. Previously they would not have been able to return home for several days and patients reported they would feel more comfortable recuperating at home. The work has been praised as innovative, leading-edge and patient-focussed.

- The centre’s anaesthetic team, who specialise in pain treatment and regional blocks, are finalists in the Medical Professional of the Year category. They were shortlisted for their work examining the use of Chloroprocaine (a short-acting spinal anaesthetic), combined with a low dose of spinal opioids to aid patients having joint replacement surgery, thereby avoiding general anaesthetic and a prolonged stay in hospital.

The team’s analysis of the techniques found that using a low dose of opioids with spinal Chloroprocaine is safe, reliable, does not cause urinary retention and does not delay patient discharge.

The research is due to be presented by Marco La Malfa at an international conference in New York later in the year.

- Diane Hardy, the centre’s administrative manager, has been successful in having her two nominations selected by judges to reach the final stages of the Inspiring Leader category for her work supporting patients and the local clinical commissioning groups, ensuring patients on long waiting lists could be seen quickly. Diane started work at the centre when it opened 12 years ago as its receptionist.

And a dramatic rescue led to Claire Mclean, Gemma Hunt, Mandy Gascoyne, Bev Allison, Jane McFarlane and Karen Carter being nominated by ward lead nurse, Lisa Snowdon, for the Special Recognition Award.

Hospital director Steve Booker said: “A patient’s husband took their dog for a walk as he waited to collect her. It had snowed the day before and it was very icy; he slipped and fell into a ditch, hurting his ankle. He was able to contact the ambulance service and his daughter to let her know what had happened. She notified the ward, so the team swung into action arranging transport for the patient to get home, while others collected blankets and went to find the patient in terrible weather and ground conditions.”

The team found the man in the ditch with his dog. His ankle was broken and it was impossible to move him to a place of warmth and safety, so they wrapped him in blankets and stayed with him for more than two hours until he was safely in the ambulance.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London on Thursday, March 15.