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A staff nurse at UHNM awarded a prestigious award

A staff nurse from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has been awarded a prestigious award after a patient praised her for being ‘phenomenal’ during her time in the Early Pregnancy Unit.

Janet Kelly, staff nurse at the Early Pregnancy Unit at Royal Stoke University Hospital was nominated for the Daisy Award which is awarded to extraordinary nurses and midwives for recognising their exemplary compassionate care that they provide to patients and families every day.

Janet Kelly

Patient Sarah, 33, from Stoke-on-Trent, nominated Janet for the Daisy Award after she received what she described as outstanding care.

Sarah said: “I have visited the early pregnancy unit nine times at Royal Stoke and each time the care I have received has been outstanding. One member of staff in particular stood out to me and her name is Janet. After experiencing an early pregnancy loss I was taken care of by Janet at one of the very lowest points of my life. The continuation of care might have been a fluke, but she was the person I had my initial assessments with, as well as every blood test. She also called me with my blood test results and offered constant reassurance with kindness and empathy. She answered all of my questions, even when there wasn’t an explanation for why my levels were behaving so randomly. I felt so taken care of by her.

Sarah added: “She was like a friend I’d had for years, whilst always remaining professional. She sensitively made me laugh when it was the very last thing I felt like doing. Her approach made me feel that she genuinely cared about me and I cannot express to you how comforting that was.

“I will never ever forget the effort she put into caring for me, the kindness and empathy that she showed me was so important at a time when receiving poor care would have really impacted my mental health. She is a huge credit to the NHS.”

Janet Fieldhouse, Early Pregnancy Unit Manager said: “Janet is so deserving of this award. She works tirelessly for the women and their families who require the services of the Early Pregnancy Unit ensuring that their needs are met daily with extraordinary compassion. As the department manager I am exceptionally proud of both Janet and the whole EPU team who together deliver an outstanding level of quality care to all. They are all an asset to UHNM.”

Janet Kelly said: “I would like to thanks Sarah for nominating me. I love my job and I am so glad I get to provide holistic care to women. When patients come into our unit it can be a very a difficult time for everyone but if you can make a difference to them then it’s all worth it.”

Chief Nurse, Ann-Marie Riley said: “I was incredibly proud to present Janet with her Daisy Award. Her nomination highlighted how her fantastic care had positively impacted the well-being of one of her patients, supporting her and her family through a very difficult time. It was an absolute pleasure to recognise the wonderful care she delivered.”

Chief Nurse Ann-Marie Riley with Janet

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established in the USA, in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) which is an auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this way of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and their families. The Daisy Award has been adopted by healthcare facilities around the world to celebrate nurses for their extraordinary care and compassion.

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