Thursday 26 November 2020

Two nurses working at Frimley Health have been recognised in this year’s Nursing Times Awards.

Lt Jenny Dyson and Sgt Lucy Laughton, both working for Joint Hospital Group (South East) at Frimley Park Hospital, were among nursing stars celebrated at a virtual ceremony on 18 November.

Lt Dyson, a senior sister on the Parkside private patients unit, was named Nurse Lead of the Year and Sgt Laughton, a member of the practice development team, was shortlisted in the ‘Rising Star’ category.

The annual Nursing Times Awards ceremony showcased the innovation and best practice of nurses and midwives from across the country. It provided an opportunity to celebrate the nursing profession and in the year of the nurse and midwife, it was even more poignant.

Lt Jenny Dyson – Winner (Nurse Leader of the Year Award)

Lt Dyson is a senior sister on the Parkside private patients unit and is responsible for the safe running of the department.

She introduced her safe staffing model, which replicated best practice from military deployments and began to empower her senior nurses to take ownership of their workforce. This change in practice reinvigorated the team who were pleased with the improvements in efficiency and patient flow.

Response rates to patient needs improved due to more effective staffing levels, while the introduction of green wrist bands to alert staff to patients who are at an increased risk of falls, produced huge reductions in incident rates.

Thanks to the efforts of Lt Dyson the Parkside department has strengthened it’s team, recognising the value of compassionate leadership and staff who work together to deliver excellent patient care.

Sally Hannaway, private patients matron said: “Parkside is incredibly lucky to have Jenny leading our nursing team. Jenny is truly inspirational and has encouraged all nursing staff throughout recent challenging times. She has played a fundamental role in developing her staff to be the amazing team they are today.”

Sgt Lucy Laughton – Nominee (Rising Star award)

Sgt Laughton is an acute medical specialist nurse currently working within the practice development team. She has been the main link between the civilian and military practice development teams and has supported both mentors and new staff. She consistently goes above and beyond to mentor her cohorts of new staff.

Sgt Laughton was nominated because of her dedication to one particular mentee, who had received a late diagnosis of autism after beginning work with the unit. She worked tirelessly to provide them with a tailored programme to cater to their unique learning needs. This included creating a board game to initiate time management and running exercises to re-enact nurse handovers.

Most impressively Sgt Laughton sourced a complete simulation ward and organised full clinical simulation shifts, utilising staff of all levels as actors, to help the mentee feel comfortable in this environment.

Much of her work with this individual was undertaken in her own time and her attention to detail was outstanding. Her tireless work ethic set her aside from her peers and her nomination for Rising Star was well earned