Hospital heroes honoured
13 February 2009
London’s heaviest snowfall in almost 20 years may have stopped the capital’s buses in their tracks but Chelsea and Westminster Hospital maintained urgent and emergency services thanks to the determination and dedication of staff.
London’s heaviest snowfall in almost 20 years may have stopped the capital’s buses in their tracks but Chelsea and Westminster Hospital maintained urgent and emergency services thanks to the determination and dedication of staff.
Many Trust staff literally ‘went the extra mile’ to make it to work on Monday 2 February despite the adverse weather conditions.
Although London’s transport infrastructure ground to a virtual standstill in the snow, doctors, nurses and other staff at the hospital delivered 20 babies, treated 210 patients in A&E and performed 19 emergency operations.
This week the hospital heroes were honoured in a special one-off competition for staff—the Snow Hero Awards—to celebrate the huge efforts that many staff made to care for patients on Monday 2 February.
Staff were invited to nominate colleagues who they felt deserved to be recognised publicly for their contribution.
The three overall winners were Dr Vasilis Constantinides, Sister Vashni Scantlebury from Edgar Horne Ward, and Finance Manager Ieuan Marks.
Dr Constantinides walked all the way from St John’s Wood to the hospital, Vashni not only made it into work but also bought breakfast for all the night staff on her ward, and Ieuan braved a three-hour journey to the hospital.
Amanda Pritchard, Deptuty Chief Executive, said: “I would like to say a big thank you to all staff who managed to make it to work so that we could keep our services up and running.
“Not only did many staff walk for hours through the snow and ice to get to work but, once they were here, they often worked far above and beyond their roles and in some cases stayed locally on Monday night to ensure they could return to work on Tuesday.”